Fire Guts Great Nigeria Insurance House On Lagos Island

Emergency responders are battling a major fire outbreak at the Great Nigeria Insurance House, a commercial plaza located on Martins Street in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.

The fire reportedly started at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the building, which is mainly used as a warehouse for clothing materials.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said preliminary findings showed that the fire originated from an office on the fourth floor of the structure.

Oke-Osanyintolu noted that the cause of the fire had yet to be determined, adding that the blaze spread rapidly from the fourth floor to other parts of the building. He explained that the number of casualties could not be confirmed as firefighting and rescue operations were still ongoing.

According to him, LASEMA’s Shark Response Team arrived to find the 22-storey building already engulfed in flames. Initial investigations revealed that the fire started in one of the apartments on the fourth floor and escalated to the sixth floor.

In a related statement, the Controller-General of the Lagos State fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said no casualties had been recorded as of the time of reporting. She disclosed that the fire was affecting sections up to the fifth floor of the 25-storey building, having originated on the fifth floor and spread downward.

Adeseye added that the affected building houses warehouse facilities and clothing materials, alongside a few corporate offices and shops, and assured that firefighters were working to bring the situation under control.