Details have emerged on how a man died in a fire incident at Lafia Hotel, Ilorin, last Thursday night.

The fire outbreak occurred at about 23:38 hours at the hotel located along Coca-Cola Road in the state capital, in an apartment reportedly used for short-let purposes.

The unidentified victim was burnt beyond recognition, according to sources familiar with the incident.

Findings revealed that the man had allegedly lodged in the room of a female occupant engaged in commercial sex to spend the night. It was gathered that the woman had stepped out to purchase some items and locked the man inside the room, reportedly due to hotel management rules prohibiting women from keeping men overnight in the facility.

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have commenced investigations into the incident, while it was learnt that the sex workers operating within the premises have since vacated the facility.

The fire, suspected to have been triggered by a power surge, affected a building comprising two flats with three bedrooms each, all of which were impacted.

The structure was said to have been heavily engulfed in smoke, making escape extremely difficult for occupants.

According to the spokesman of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, preliminary investigations indicated that the fire broke out immediately after power supply was restored.

"The outbreak reportedly occurred immediately after power supply was restored, leading to rapid fire spread across the building," he said.

He added that firefighters arrived promptly and brought the situation under control at about 23:51 hours.

Authorities are continuing investigations to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident.