Fire Service Explains Delay In Containing Lagos Island High Rise Fire

Fire Service Explains Delay In Containing Lagos Island High Rise Fire
Poor storage and combustible materials worsened the spread
Ten people rescued alive as fire brought under control

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has explained why the fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, took several hours to bring under control.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that the fire started around 5 pm on Wednesday at the 25 storey building and continued into Thursday despite the early arrival of emergency responders. What began as a fire on the fifth floor later spread to at least five adjoining buildings, including the old Lagos Central Mosque, before it was finally contained on Christmas Day.

In a statement released on Thursday via X, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the service received a distress call at 4.41 pm and arrived at the scene by 4.53 pm.

She said firefighters from the Ebute Elefun and Dolphin fire stations were first deployed, with reinforcement coming from the Sari Iganmu, Bolade and Isolo fire stations, as well as the Alausa headquarters.

According to the fire service, the delay in containing the fire was due to several challenges at the scene. These included poor storage practices, the presence of highly combustible materials and the closely linked structure of surrounding buildings.

Adeseye explained that the fire started on the fifth floor of the building, which is mainly used as warehouse storage and sales outlets for clothing materials. She said the large volume of flammable items fuelled the fire and caused it to spread rapidly.

She added that crowd control issues and limited access to the affected area also slowed down firefighting efforts, while the conjoined nature of the buildings allowed the fire to move easily from one structure to another.

“The affected buildings are predominantly warehouses with poor storage practices involving highly combustible materials, which facilitated rapid fire spread and complicated suppression efforts,” the statement said.

The service confirmed that the fire has been brought under control and firefighters are currently carrying out damping down operations to extinguish remaining pockets of fire.

It said five adjoining buildings were affected, with two partially damaged and three severely damaged, including the old Lagos Central Mosque.

The fire service also confirmed that 10 people, mostly males, were rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and are in stable condition.

Adeseye assured residents of the service’s commitment to protecting lives and property and urged the public to remain calm and cooperate with emergency responders.