- Safiu Kehinde
A fire outbreak has engulfed a plaza known as the Great Nigeria Insurance House, located on Martins Street in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.
The outbreak reportedly occurred around 5pm on Wednesday at the plaza which serves as a warehouse for clothing materials worth millions of Naira.
Video shared on X as at the moment the incident occurred showed thick smoke emanating from the building.
Subsequent videos recorded hours after showed the flame largely spread across the plaza as traders watched on.
While confirming the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that the fire started from one of the offices located on the fourth floor.
Oke-Osanyintou noted that the number of casualties could not be ascertained at the moment, as rescue operations were still ongoing.
“Upon arrival of the Shark Response Team at the scene, a 22-storey building (Great Nigeria Insurance House) was found to have been engulfed by fire.
“Preliminary investigation conducted by the Shark Response Team revealed that the fire started from one of the apartments on the fourth floor and quickly gained momentum, spreading to other parts of the floor and escalating upwards to the sixth floor within the 22-storey building.
“Currently, the number of casualties cannot be ascertained, as firefighting operations are still ongoing.” He said.
While also confirming the incident, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, affirmed that no casualties had been recorded.
“The fire is currently affecting up to the fifth floor of a 25-storey building. It originated on the fifth floor and has spread downwards from that level.
“The affected building is primarily used for warehouse storage and the sale of clothing materials, with corporate offices and a few shops also located within the premises. There has been no record of casualties as firefighting continues,” Adeseye stated.