A minor fire outbreak has occurred in a section of the administrative building of the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
There was no major damage from the fire and no one was injured, an official said.
The fire incident was reported to have occurred on Wednesday at about 1:15 p.m. It lasted for about 20 minutes before it was quenched.
The Ooni’s Chief Security Officer, Kolawole Emmanuel and his team were joined by officials of the fire services from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife to control the fire.
The Director of Media and Public Affairs in the palace, Moses Olafare, when contacted, confirmed the incident. He said the fire was suspected to have been caused by an electric spark, stating that measures are ongoing to confirm the cause of the incident
“The Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, wishes to inform the entire public that a minor fire outbreak involving a tiny part of one of the administrative buildings within the premises of the palace occurred at about 1:15 p.m. today, Wednesday 19th, August 2020, leaving no harm to the oldest palace in Yoruba land,” Mr Olafare said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
“The minor inferno which lasted for about 20 minutes was immediately put out by collective efforts of people in the palace led by the Ooni’s Chief Security, Kolawole Emmanuel, later joined by men of the fire services from the state government, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife,” he said.
“Aside from the fact that there was no causality whatsoever, the fire was just a minor occurrence which was nothing to be compared to the misleading huge pictures being painted in the media, particularly the social media.
“While it is suspected to have emanated from an electric spark, measures are currently in place to reveal the cause of the inferno. We wish to thank men of the Osun State Fire service, Obafemi Awolowo University Fire Service and OAUTH Fire Service for their swift response.
“…efforts of well-meaning Nigerians who reached out to the Palace for objective analysis are equally appreciated. Once again, the ancient Palace of Ife remains as rich as before in culture, traditions and tourism,” Mr Olafare stated.
Culled from Premium Times
