A devastating fire on Sunday gutted a section of Shril-Balaj Industrial Limited, an industrial facility located in the Olopomeji area of Ibadan, Oyo State, destroying property worth millions of naira.
The incident, which affected the recycling unit of the factory—primarily stocked with disused tyres—was reportedly triggered by a machine explosion, leading to a rapid spread of flames across the section.
Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in an official statement.
“We received a distress call around 7:07 a.m. on Sunday morning. Our findings indicate that the fire originated from an explosion in one of the running machines, which then ignited flammable materials nearby,” he said.
“The blaze consumed the recycling section that had a large stockpile of used tyres,” Akinwande added.
“However, our team was able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the facility.”
Eyewitnesses who spoke to reporters described the fire as intense, with thick smoke visible from several kilometers away. A resident, who preferred not to be named, said, “We heard a loud bang early in the morning, and within minutes, flames had engulfed that section of the factory. It was frightening.”
While no casualties were reported, the financial losses are estimated to run into several millions of naira, as equipment and materials were destroyed before fire officials arrived at the scene.
