A 52-year-old unidentified man has died in a late-night fire outbreak at Lafia Hotel Apartments along Coca-Cola Road in Ilorin, the Kwara
A 52-year-old man died after a late-night fire destroyed a short-let apartment building along Coca-Cola Road in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
The blaze broke out around 11:38pm on Thursday in the Lafia Hotel area. The building, used for short-let purposes, was completely gutted.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, the structure contained two flats of three bedrooms each.
“The Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire outbreak at Lafia Hotel, Coca-Cola Road, Ilorin, at about 23:38hrs on Thursday, 27th February 2026.
It was an apartment used for short-let purposes, not a residential building. The building consists of two flats with three bedrooms each, and all the rooms were affected by the fire,” the statement said.
The agency said the building was heavily filled with smoke, making escape difficult for occupants.
“Tragically, one life was lost in the incident; an unidentified male, estimated to be about 52 years of age.”
Preliminary findings show the fire started immediately after electricity was restored.
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“Preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was attributed to a power surge… leading to rapid fire spread across the building,” the agency added.
Firefighters deployed three fire trucks and brought the blaze under control within minutes, with support from the Federal Fire Service.
The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Alabi Muhammed, expressed concern over the loss and urged property owners, especially short-let operators, to improve electrical safety.
Earlier this month, the service also recovered the body of an unidentified man from a river in Ilorin West Local Government Area.
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