Akure inferno victim in shock, lands in hospital

Michael Ofulue & Fisayo Akinduro

A victim of Sunday fire incident in Akure, which burnt over 20 shops and buildings, identified as Alhaji Amusa Oladipo has been hospitalized in an undisclosed hospital after suffering from shock, The Hope has learnt.
Oladipo who owned a medicine store along Ijomu street was said to have suffered shock on getting to the scene of the incident.
It was gathered that the victim had last Saturday stocked his shop with two trucks of drugs but woke up on Sunday to see the goods burnt to ashes.
An eyewitness told The Hope Metro that the victim is currently in a private hospital, receiving treatment having suffered shock due to the loss caused by the inferno.
Efforts made by our correspondent to confirm the state of health of the victim proved abortive as calls put across to his phone and that of his wife were not answered.
Meanwhile, as victims of the Ijomu fire incident continue to count their loses, another fire incident has reportedly burnt a two-bedroom building and four shops in Akure and Osogbo respectively.
The unfortunate incident in Akure which occurred around 12.30pm on Monday also destroyed property, personal effects in the building attached to a story building.
The inferno, when The Hope Metro visited the scene learnt was caused by spark from electric cables.
An eyewitness account said it took concerted efforts of neighbours to put off the fire which almost torched the next building.
Sources hinted that all the personal effects of residents including electrical appliances, clothing, cash and money other property were burnt to ashes.
According to one of the neighbours who was furious, but refused to mention his name, immediately he saw the spark of fire, called the fire service office, but the response was that they did not have vehicle.
Their response made some youths to drive away journalists who came to cover the incident.
One of the occupants of the house, Mr Sina said he was at work when he got the information that his house was on fire and immediately rushed home.
He recounted their losses but praised the efforts of some concern citizens and neighbors who helped to put off the fire just as he thanked God that his aged mother was safe.
He explained that if not because of the people who came fetching buckets of water to quench the inferno, it would have been a different story because the fire would have torched the next building.
In a related development, four shops burnt in Osogbo occurred on Monday razed by fire at a shopping complex located at Orita Aje Street, testing ground area.
The Hope Metro gathered that the fire was caused by a power surge in one of the affected shops before it spread to three others.
One of the shop owners, identified as Akande, said the fire started at a computer accessories shop that was locked.
He said it lasted for about 45 minutes before the State and Federal Fire Service officials were alerted to put it out.
He noted that the intervention of the firefighters prevented the fire from burning the whole shopping complex.
The Administrative Officer of the Osun Fire Fighters, Mr. Fatai Aremu, said the office responded promptly upon receiving a distress call from owners of goods in the shops.
“Four of the shops were completely burnt before the arrival of men of the Fire Service, while the rest were partially affected by the fire. Property lost to the incident worth N1.2 million.”