A tragic accident occurred in Ilorin on Thursday, where a housemaid unintentionally set her employer’s four-bedroom flat ablaze.
The incident reportedly happened when the maid attempted to ignite a gas cooker, unaware that the kitchen was already filled with liquefied gas.
Hassan Adekunle, Head of Media and Publicity at the Kwara Fire Service, confirmed the event in a statement. He explained that the fire broke out as the maid tried to light the cooker in a kitchen saturated with gas.
The statement read, “On Thursday, August 15, 2024, at around 10:42 AM, the Kwara State Fire Service received an emergency call regarding a fire outbreak at No. 6, Phase 1, off Baba-Soja Street, Akerebiata, Ilorin East Local Government. The fire crew responded promptly, rushing to the scene to minimize the damage. Upon their arrival, they found a four-bedroom flat completely engulfed in flames.”
Thankfully, the maid escaped without injury. However, the fire caused significant damage to the building, worsened by the delay in the emergency response.
Further investigation revealed that the fire started when the maid tried to ignite the gas cooker. After multiple attempts to strike matches in a kitchen already filled with gas, the ignition finally occurred, leading to a catastrophic explosion.
Kwara State Fire Service Director, Prince Falade John, expressed his condolences to the victims. He also urged the public to follow safety measures diligently, emphasizing the importance of striking matches before turning on gas appliances to avoid similar accidents.
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