Late on Friday night, a building apartment located within the premises of the Ooni of Ife’s palace, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, was engulfed in flames, though the fire was successfully extinguished and did not spread to other areas of the palace. The fire incident was reported to have occurred at around 11:30 p.m. and was caused by a power surge that triggered electrical appliances to explode.
According to the spokesperson of the Ooni, Moses Olafare, the fire only affected a building within the palace’s courtyard and was quickly contained through the combined efforts of the State Fire Service Department, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Fire Service, and the Palace Emergency Control Unit. No injuries or casualties were recorded, and no cultural artifacts were lost in the inferno.
Olafare confirmed that electricity supply was restored into the palace before the fire incident occurred. In his statement, he emphasized that the fire was caused by a power surge that exploded through electrical appliances in the affected apartment. He expressed gratitude to the Almighty Olodumare for averting a greater disaster.
The incident underscores the importance of electrical safety measures and the need for regular maintenance of electrical appliances to prevent accidents like this. It also highlights the need for adequate emergency response preparedness to contain disasters like fires swiftly. Fortunately, no life was lost, and the fire was contained before it could escalate, thanks to the swift response of the fire service departments and emergency control unit.
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