A mysterious fire incident has consumed several shops on the popular Oba Adesida road, Akure. Tears flowed freely as owners of the affected shops and houses watched helplessly as the fire razed their properties at about 2am on May 1. The affected victims were woken up from their sleep with the unpleasant news by people who live around the areas where their shops were situated and their night guards through telephone set .‎
Those whose mobile telephones were on, immediately rushed to the scene, even in their night gowns, while others who switched off their telephones knew of the incident the next day after the damaged had been done. It was a sorry sight as owners and sympathizers ran helter skelter fetching water from nearby wells to quench the raging inferno, as early efforts to get the state fire service proved futile.
However, when they eventually arrived, the water in their tank was insufficient to put off the fierce inferno, that they had to go searching for water more than thrice, revealed an eyewitness.
Telephone accessories
Among the items razed down in the affected shops were books, drinks, laptops, telephone accessories, shoes and generators. This is even as several people were reportedly wounded during their effort to prevent one of the properties in the affected shops from being razed down completely. Vanguard gathered that fire started from one of the affected shop and gradually spread to others. One source said the fire was caused by a power surge, while another source said that the fire incident was mysterious.
It was learned that save for the quick intervention of sympathizers, several other shops where books, musical instruments, clothing materials and others would have been razed completely by the inferno. Speaking to Vanguard, Olori. Adenike Adesida who owned Fiyinfogo Bookshop, said the shop and their family house were razed down by the inferno. Narrating her ordeal, Adesida, who said she has been selling books in the place for about 20year said "On the 1st of May, 2015 at about 2:00 am, we received a phone call informing me that my shop is on fire.
On getting there, we noticed that some of the shops at 73B Oba Adesida Road, including our family house have been destroyed. "We called the attention of the fire brigade to the scene, they came with little water to the place, and went back saying they didn't come with much water and chemicals. They said that the vehicle they brought is the only fire truck in Ondo State. "We discover that even the only fire service vehicle in Ondo State still had mechanical problems. So, they left to refill for about four times repeatedly for a period of about 45 minutes interval before returning with more water.
But unfortunately, within this period, the shops had already been caught with fire and razed completely. Hoodlums on the prowl However, while the intervention operations by sympathisers were ongoing, it was gathered that some hoodlums who also pretended to be good Samaritans looted some of the shops. Two of them were reportedly apprehended when they attempted to cart away some telephone accessories and a generator into a waiting vehicle parking close to the scene of the inferno.
In another development, Jide Alebiosu, one of those who rallied around to put-out the inferno, took a swipe at the state fire service, asking government to probe its activities  Alebiosu recalled that in a gas explosion, last December in Arakale area of the state, many shops were completely razed because the fire service failed to show up despite several distress calls put to them by the people.
He pointed that the fire service has proven to be unable to render the needed services expected of them in times of distress, thereby calling on the state government to beam it's searchlight on the activities of the fire service. "If the problem of the place is lack of equipment, government should as a matter of urgency intervene. The activities of the state fire service is worrisome to the people of the state. There would be a time when members of the public may vent their anger on the state fire service if the ugly situation persists," he cautioned.
Meanwhile, efforts to speak with officials of the state fire service proved abortive as one of the officials said as civil servants he is not authorised to speak to the press. have visited the ministry and the Chief of Staff to the governor on several occasions but nothing has come out. "But we still trust God and believe that our governor will fulfil his promise that government will compensate us. At the moment, we are just managing by displaying our wares for sales along the road side, as life has been very difficult for us since the gas explosion which destroyed our shops and properties."

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