Video: Tenants trapped as fire engulfs high-rise building in Lagos
Abdullateef Fowewe
A fire has erupted at a section of Afriland Towers, which is home to a branch of the United Bank for Africa and other businesses in the Marina area of Lagos Island.
Video link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Avg9FbxmJ/
The incident was recorded in several videos shared on social media, showing thick smoke rising from the high-rise as panic spread throughout the bustling commercial district.
In one of the videos, some unidentified individuals were seen attempting to jump from the building, while others were rescued with a ladder by nearby residents and passersby.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Deputy Controller General Ogabi Olajide, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the incident and reported that its firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze in the six-storey building on Broad Street.
The statement reads in part, “A fire outbreak is currently being battled at a six-storey building on Afriland Tower, Broad Street, Lagos Island. The call was received at 13:38 hours, and fire crews from Ebute Elefun Fire Station and Sari Iganmu Fire Station responded.”
It further disclosed that the fire started in the inverter room in the basement before smoke spread across multiple floors and engulfed the structure.
“Evacuation of occupants is in progress, while firefighting operations have been concluded dousing the earlier panic before the arrival of the first responders,” it concluded.
