Many feared trapped as fire guts Lagos plaza

Photos and video from the scene of the fire. Credit: LASEMA

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An undisclosed number of traders are feared trapped inside a plaza popularly known as Great Nigeria Insurance House, located at Balogun Market, after a fire gutted the fifth floor of the building on Wednesday.

An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Sola, told PUNCH Metro that the fire, which began at about 5 p.m., started on the fifth floor, trapping an unspecified number of traders.

Our correspondents reported that the plaza is renowned for its sale of clothing and shoes for both children and adults.

A short video obtained by our correspondents on Wednesday showed thick black smoke billowing from the building as fire service trucks rushed to the scene.

Speaking on the incident, Sola said, “This was when the third fire service vehicle arrived. There was a lot of stampede, and people—especially a woman who lost her shop and parking space last year—were trapped inside, particularly on the upper floors, and could not get out. I heard the fire started on the fifth floor.

“When it began, it was just smoke, and everything seemed to be dying down, but it suddenly intensified. The fire started at about 4:40 p.m.”

Confirming the incident in a statement, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the fire started from the fourth floor and had extended to the sixth floor of the high-rise building.

He noted that the number of casualties could not be ascertained as rescue operations were currently ongoing.

Oke-Osanyintolu said, “Upon the arrival of the Shark Response Team at the scene, a 22-storey building (Great Nigeria Insurance House) was found to have been engulfed in fire.

“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Shark Response Team revealed that the fire started from one of the apartments on the fourth floor and quickly gained momentum to other parts of the floor. It has currently escalated upwards to the sixth floor with rapid upward momentum within the 22-storey building.

“Currently, the number of casualties cannot be ascertained as firefighting operations are ongoing.”

Similarly, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, noted that no casualties had been recorded so far.

“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.

Emergency responders were still battling the fire as of the time of filing this report.

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