Clement Adeyi, Osogbo
Fire, Wednesday, gutted an administrative building at the palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
The inferno which started by 1:14 pm lasted for 20 minutes.
A source told Daily Sun that though no casualty was recorded, it burnt some upholstery chairs and other household equipment.
It  also blew off the roof of the building which belongs to one of the palace chiefs (name withheld).
The source also disclosed that the fire was caused by  power surge.
He, added that a call was put through to a state fire service in the ancient town which personnel arrived promptly and put it off.
The Director of Media and Public Affairs,
Ooni’s Palace, Comrade Moses Olafare, however, debunked reports on the social media that the inferno razed down the entire palace.
Olafare said that the palace was intact contrary to what he described as a misleading report.
He said: “The Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, wishes to inform the entire public that a minor fire outbreak  involving a tiny part of one of the administrative buildings within the premises of the palace occurred at about 1:15pm today, Wednesday 19th, August 2020, leaving no harm to the oldest palace in Yoruba land,”
“The minor inferno which lasted for about 20 minutes was immediately put out by a collective efforts of people in the palace led by the Ooni’s Chief Security, Kolawole Emmanuel, later joined by men of the fire services from the state government, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife,” Olafare added.
“Aside from the fact that there was no causality whatsoever, the fire was just a minor occurrence which was nothing to be compared to the misleading huge pictures being painted in the media, particularly the social media.
“While it is suspected to have emanated from an electric spark, measures are currently in place to reveal the cause of the inferno.
“We wish to thank the men of the Osun State Fire Service, Obafemi Awolowo University Fire Service and OAUTH Fire Service for their swift response, while efforts of well meaning Nigerians who reached out to the palace for objective analysis are equally appreciated.
“Once again, the ancient palace of Ife remains as rich as before in culture, traditions and tourism.”