Church Building Partially Gutted in Ilorin Fire Triggered by Burning Candle

(Scene of the fire incident. Photo Credit: Punch News)

An early morning fire on Tuesday razed part of a church building in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after a candle left burning overnight ignited nearby materials in the boys' quarters of the premises.

The incident occurred at approximately 06:18hrs at the Christ Celestial Church of God, Ife Oluwa, in the Tanke area of Ilorin, with four rooms gutted before firefighters contained the blaze.

The Kwara State Fire Service, through its spokesperson, Hassan Adekunle, said operatives were deployed immediately to the scene and successfully prevented the fire from spreading to other parts of the church and adjoining structures.

Hassan noted that preliminary findings pointed to human negligence, with an unattended candle identified as the cause of the outbreak.

He said the blaze started in the boys' quarters of the church premises, where the candle had been left burning overnight to provide illumination, before its flame came in contact with combustible materials in the room.

He added that firefighters moved swiftly on arrival and curtailed the situation before it could escalate, keeping the fire from extending to other sections of the church and nearby buildings.

The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, used the opportunity to caution residents against leaving open flames unattended in enclosed spaces, particularly at night.

He urged the public to embrace safer lighting alternatives and to ensure that flammable materials are stored well away from open flames.

The agency reaffirmed its dedication to protecting lives and property through prompt emergency intervention and ongoing public sensitisation on fire safety.

The development comes amid a string of recent fire incidents in Ilorin, including a June 14 outbreak that gutted a containerised supermarket along Lubcon Road in the Mandate Area, which was linked to a spark from a high-tension electricity line.