The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has explained the reasons behind the prolonged battle to extinguish the massive fire that gutted the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island over Christmas.
According to the agency, the blaze, which started on Wednesday evening around 5 p.m., rapidly spread and lasted into the next day despite early deployment of firefighting teams.
The fire is believed to have originated on the fifth floor of the 25-storey building — a complex mainly used for warehouse storage and sale of clothing materials — before spreading to adjacent structures, including the old Lagos Central Mosque.
Controller General of the Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, said teams from several fire stations, including Ebute Elefun, Dolphin, Sari Iganmu, Bolade, Isolo and the Alausa headquarters, responded after a distress call was received at 4:41 p.m., with crews arriving on the scene by 4:53 p.m.
Mrs. Adeseye pointed to several factors that made suppression difficult — notably the presence of highly combustible materials stored in the building, poor storage practices, the conjoined nature of attached structures, and limited access for emergency responders.
She explained that these conditions fuelled the spread of the fire and slowed containment efforts.
Crowd control issues and challenges in reaching critical areas also complicated firefighting operations, according to the fire service.
Despite these obstacles, crews eventually brought the blaze under control and continued damping-down operations to eliminate remaining hotspots.
Officials confirmed that 10 people were rescued with various injuries and are in stable condition, and urged residents to cooperate with emergency personnel and observe safety advisories as investigations continue.
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