A midnight fire outbreak yesterday ravaged 28 shops at the popular Kara Market in Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun local government area of Kwara State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the fire outbreak which occurred at 2 am destroyed goods worth millions of naira.
The Kwara State Fire Service spokesperson, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident in a statement.
He attributed the cause of the fire outbreak to the negligence of a shop owner who failed to extinguish the fire used for cooking properly.
” The Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire outbreak at Kara Market, Ajase-Ipo, Irepodun local government area, in the early hours of Wednesday, 20th August 2025, at exactly 01:35hrs.
” On arrival at the scene, firefighters discovered that out of 323 shops in the market, comprising 22 plank shops and seven kiosks among others, the fire affected 22 plank shops and six container shops.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the incident was caused by negligence, as one of the occupants of the plank shops failed to properly extinguish the fire used for cooking. The fire later reignited, spreading rapidly to nearby shops.
“The timely intervention of the Kwara State Fire Service helped prevent further escalation and safeguarded hundreds of other shops and properties from destruction,” Adekunle said.
