An accident occurred on Thursday in Ilorin when a female housemaid set her employer’s four-bedroom flat on fire.
It was gathered that the incident happened as she attempted to light the gas cooker, unaware that liquefied gas had already saturated the kitchen.
This is contained in a statement released by Hassan Adekunle, Head of the Department of Media and Publicity, Kwara Fire Service, who said the maid was trying to light a gas cooker while liquefied gas had already saturated the kitchen.
The statement read, “On Thursday, August 15, 2024, at approximately 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 immediately, racing to the scene to prevent further destruction. Upon arrival, the firefighters encountered a bungalow with a four-bedroom flat fully engulfed in flames.”
He said the maid was unharmed; however, the entire structure was severely damaged due to the delayed emergency call.
“During the investigation, it was discovered that the fire originated when the maid attempted to ignite the gas cooker. After several attempts to strike matches while the liquefied gas had already saturated the kitchen, the ignition finally occurred, causing an explosion that led to the fire,” he said.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, expressed his sympathy to those affected and urged the public to adhere strictly to safety precautions.
He emphasized the importance of striking matches before turning on gas appliances to prevent similar incidents in the future.
