Seven students at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, have reportedly sustained varying degrees of injury during a fire incident at a gas refilling shop near a student hostel.

The fire incident, it was gathered, occurred at Destiny Villa, Dola Abimbola Street, Elekoyangan area in Ilorin East LGA late Saturday night.

A gas attendant was also reportedly injured during the incident.

The Head of Department (HOD) Media and Publicity of the state Fire Service, Hakeem Adekunle, confirmed the incident on Sunday.

Adekunle explained that “the fire started when a gas attendant at a nearby gas shop was refilling a gas cylinder.”

“The cylinder fell and exploded, concurrently releasing gas from the charged hose used for refilling. This exacerbated the fire, resulting in injuries to seven Kwara State Polytechnic students and the gas attendant.

“Upon arrival at the scene, firemen encountered a building with about 17 self-contained rooms fully ablaze. Four rooms were affected, and eight individuals sustained injuries.

“Total estimated property loss was valued at N14.6 million, while a total estimated property saved was N72.2 million,” he added.

In response to the incident, Director of Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, dispatched his team to check on the affected students on Sunday.

The director also urged the members of the public to prioritise safety measures to prevent fire disasters.