Firefighters contain blaze at Shril-Balaj Industrial waste recycling facility
Olopomeji, Ibadan – A machine explosion at Shril-Balaj Industrial Limited at 7:07 AM Sunday morning sparked a major fire that destroyed the company’s tyre recycling section. Firefighters contained the blaze within hours, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the Ibadan facility.
Machine Explodes, Ignites Tyre Stockpile
The explosion occurred suddenly during normal operations, immediately igniting nearby combustible materials and accumulated disused tyres. The fire spread quickly through the recycling section where large quantities of waste tyres were stored.
“The fire incident was reported at exactly 07:07hr on Sunday, 20th July 2025, through telephone,” confirmed Maroof Akinwande, Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service.
Tyre fires burn at extremely high temperatures and produce thick black smoke that was visible across the city.
Firefighters Deploy Specialized Equipment
CFS Olubunmi Christy led the fire service response team to the scene. They found the entire recycling section engulfed in flames upon arrival.
“On getting to the place, we met the disused tyres recycling section full of the accumulated disused tyres engulfed by fire,” Akinwande stated.
The team used specialized foam and water techniques designed specifically for tyre fires, which require different approaches than standard building fires.
Fire Contained to Original Location
Firefighters successfully prevented the flames from reaching other company buildings. The fire remained confined to the recycling section where it started.
“The Firemen quickly got to work by applying necessary firefighting equipment in curtailing the fire. The fire was strictly restricted to where we met it and prevented from spreading to other sections of the company,” Akinwande explained.
The fire was completely extinguished after several hours of operations.
Investigation and Recovery
Authorities will investigate the cause of the machine explosion. The company will assess damage to equipment and infrastructure in the affected section.
No injuries were reported during the incident. Normal operations are expected to resume in unaffected areas of the facility.
By Kayode Ojo
