Why Lagos Island building fire took hours to contain – Fire Service

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has explained why the fire that gutted the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, lasted for several hours before it was brought under control.

The fire broke out around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 24, in the 25-storey building and continued into Christmas Day, despite the early arrival of firefighters.

According to the fire service, the blaze started on the fifth floor of the building, which is mainly used as a warehouse for storing clothing materials, alongside offices and retail shops. The fire later spread to at least five nearby buildings, including the old Lagos Central Mosque.

In a statement posted on X on Thursday, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said the distress call was received at 4:41 p.m., and firefighters arrived at the scene by 4:53 p.m.

She said fire crews from the Ebute Elefun and Dolphin fire stations were immediately deployed, with additional support from the Sari Iganmu, Bolade, Isolo fire stations and the Alausa headquarters.

Adeseye explained that the fire was difficult to control due to poor storage practices and the presence of highly flammable materials in the affected buildings.

She also said the buildings were closely joined together, which allowed the fire to spread quickly from one structure to another.

In addition, crowd control issues and limited access to the area made it harder for emergency responders to carry out their work effectively.

“The affected buildings are mainly warehouses with poor storage arrangements and highly combustible materials, which helped the fire spread rapidly,” the statement said.

“Crowd control and accessibility posed serious challenges, while the conjoined nature of the buildings further worsened the situation.”

The fire service confirmed that the fire has now been brought under control, with firefighters carrying out damping-down operations to put out remaining pockets of fire.

So far, five adjoining buildings were affected, two partially and three severely including the old Lagos Central Mosque.

The service also confirmed that 10 people, mostly men, were rescued alive with varying injuries and are currently in stable condition.

Adeseye assured Lagos residents of the fire service’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging the public to remain calm, cooperate with emergency workers and follow safety instructions.