According to Platinum Times Nigeria, a pharmaceutical company in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, was completely destroyed by fire on Tuesday, destroying goods worth millions of naira.
At around 11:55 a.m., a fire broke out at the Peace Pharmaceutical Company, which is located next to the National Hajj Commission along Ilorin West Local Government Secretariat, the headquarters of Kwara State.
The Kwara State Fire Service received an emergency call reporting a fire incident at Peace Pharmaceutical Company, according to Hassan Adekunle, spokesman for the State Fire Service in Ilorin on Tuesday.
“The fire crew, upon receiving the distress call, promptly departed from the station with the fire appliance to attend to the situation.
“Upon arrival at the scene, the fire crew encountered a severe and rapidly spreading fire at the Peace Pharmaceutical Company.
“The firemen immediately commenced firefighting operations to contain the inferno and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the company.
“Despite the scale of the disaster, the firemen who demonstrated their expertise and skill, successfully controlled and extinguished the fire with their knowledge and prowess in firefighting techniques,” he added.
Hassan said that during the incident, the Nigeria Police ‘D’ Division was also present to maintain order, and prevent any possible aggression from the mob and staff of the company towards the firemen.
The spokesman said investigation into the cause of the inferno revealed that it originated from the process of siphoning ethanol from an ethanol tanker to the company’s ethanol reservoir.
“A spark emitted from the pumping machine and ignited the flammable liquid, leading to the outbreak of the fire.
“The unfortunate incident resulted in substantial damage to the Peace Pharmaceutical Company,” he further stated.
Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, director of the Kwara State Fire Service, recommended people and property owners in the State to install and routinely maintain suitable fire safety measures in order to prevent similar disasters in the future.