Car Gutted by Fire at Kwara Hotel as Electrical Fault Suspected in Late-Night Blaze

A car at the E-Phoenix Hotel, which is situated at Tanke Junction in the Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State, was completely destroyed by a fire on Wednesday night.

Hassan Adekunle, the Kwara State Fire Service's public relations officer, acknowledged the occurrence and the quick action taken by firefighters to put out the fire in a statement released on Thursday.

"The Kwara State Fire Service responded to a fire outbreak at the E-Phoenix Hotel, Tanke Junction, Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 23:38 hours," he stated.

According to information obtained by The PUNCH, the Honda Accord with registration number DTH 753 AA was engaged in the incident. Prior to being contained, the fire mostly affected the engine compartment.

According to reports, firefighters responded swiftly to the incident and were able to put out the fire by approximately 00:15 hours, preventing it from spreading to adjacent cars and areas of the hotel.

According to Hassan, "preliminary findings indicated that the fire may have been caused by a spark from the vehicle's wiring system, which subsequently ignited flammable components within the engine area."

In order to avoid such incidents, Alabi Muhammed, Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, advised drivers to give regular maintenance of their cars, particularly electrical systems, top priority.

"Vehicle owners should ensure regular maintenance and inspection of electrical wiring systems, especially in older vehicles," he stated.

"Drivers should refrain from doing improvised electrical repairs and disconnect defective wiring right away.

"Basic firefighting equipment, like portable extinguishers, should be kept in vehicles for early response," he suggested.

The fire department reaffirmed its dedication to safeguarding people and property throughout Kwara State, emphasizing that prompt emergency response is still essential to minimizing losses from fire breakouts.

A number of fire occurrences in Kwara State, including one in March that damaged three containerized shops at Eyenkorin Roundabout in Asa Local Government Area, were previously covered by the PUNCH.

The recurrent nature of such catastrophes in the state capital was further highlighted on April 11, when a shop situated in a multipurpose building along Pakata Road in the Ita-Ogunbo neighborhood of Ilorin was impacted by another fire event.