A five-year-old boy accidentally set a duplex on fire in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, while playing with matches on Monday.
The incident occurred at Abiodun Adebiyi Close, off Yidi Road, in the Irewolede area of Ilorin West Local Government. One of the rooms in the duplex was completely destroyed before firefighters arrived to prevent further damage, according to an eyewitness who spoke to Punch Online.
The witness, Lanre Abdulrazaq, who was working in the area at the time, said, “We suddenly noticed thick smoke coming from the building and immediately raised an alarm to alert people nearby.”
He added that while the cause of the fire was initially unknown, firefighters later arrived to contain the flames.
Confirming the incident, the spokesman for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, explained that the fire was triggered when the child accidentally dropped a lit matchstick on a flammable material, causing the fire to spread.
Adekunle, who serves as the principal fire officer and head of Media and Publicity for the fire service, issued a statement on Monday night detailing the event.
“Preliminary investigations confirmed that a five-year-old boy playing with matches inadvertently ignited a fire by dropping a lit matchstick onto a combustible substance,” the statement read.
The fire service received the distress call at approximately 5:32 PM on February 3, 2025. Firefighters promptly responded, arriving at the scene to find one of the rooms in a five-bedroom duplex engulfed in flames.
“Through expert intervention, our team successfully contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to other rooms or nearby properties. Thanks to their swift and coordinated efforts, only one room sustained damage,” Adekunle stated.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, praised the firefighters for their rapid response and professionalism. He also urged the public to prioritize fire safety, advising parents to keep matches out of children’s reach, as a single matchstick could lead to significant destruction.
Adekunle reiterated the fire service’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property through swift emergency response and professional service.
