Unknown Man Dies In Kwara Hotel Fire Outbreak

An unidentified man has lost his life to a fire outbreak at Lafia Hotel in Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday night.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the incident, which happened at about 11.38pm, gutted an apartment being used for short-let purposes in the twin three-bedroom buildings.

It was gathered that the fire incident was caused by a power surge as it happened immediately after power supply was restored to the area where the hotel is located.

The spokesperson of the State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, confirmed the incident on Friday morning.

Adekunle said: “On Thursday, 27th February 2026, at 23:38hrs, the Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire outbreak at Lafia Hotel, Coca-Cola Road, Ilorin. The affected facility is an apartment used for short-let purposes, not a residential building.

“The incident involved a building comprising two (2) flats with three (3) bedrooms each, all of which were affected by the fire. The entire building was heavily engulfed in smoke, making escape extremely difficult for occupants.

“Tragically, one life was lost in the incident, an unidentified male, estimated to be about 52 years of age.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was attributed to a power surge, as the outbreak reportedly occurred immediately after power supply was restored, leading to rapid fire spread across the building.

“Firefighters arrived promptly and brought the fire under control at about 23:51hrs. Three fire appliances were deployed to mitigate the magnitude of the inferno, with support from the Federal Fire Service, whose personnel were also present at the scene.”