A devastating fire swept through the Afriland Tower in Lagos Island on Tuesday, claiming the lives of seven people. The victims died in hospitals across the state where they were rushed to after being evacuated from the high-rise building.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started in the afternoon at about 1:40 pm with thick smoke billowing from one side of the building. Panic set in as individuals were seen attempting to jump from the building, while others were rescued with the aid of ladders by residents and passersby. Some individuals sustained varying degrees of injury during the rescue process.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service sprang into action, evacuating 11 persons into ambulances and successfully resuscitating five individuals.
However, a Lagos State Government official confirmed that seven casualties had been recorded, with two males and three females among the deceased. The victims were taken to three separate hospitals; General Hospital, Odan; St Nicholas Hospital on Campbell Street; and Avon Hospital, Surulere where they were pronounced dead. Four victims are still receiving treatment in some of the hospitals.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) confirmed the death of four staff members in the fire incident.
The deceased staff members were identified as Mrs. Ekelikhostse George, Mr. David Sunday-Jatto, Mrs. Nkem Onyemelukwe, and Mr. Peter Ifaranmaye.
FIRS management offered condolences to the families of the deceased, stating,
“It is with a heavy heart that FIRS announces the tragic loss of four of its staff members during the fire incident at Afriland Towers, Broad Street, Lagos, on Tuesday.”
FIRS also stated that its security and safety officials quickly mobilized and contacted the fire service as soon as they were alerted.
The United Bank for Africa (UBA) did not confirm the loss of staff members, but the chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu, mourned the loss of some staff members, describing it as devastating.
“Dear Colleagues, I am shattered by yesterday’s devastating incident at the Afriland Towers, which took the lives of our dear colleagues,” Elumelu wrote.
“No words can capture the magnitude of this loss – not for their families who loved them, not for the friends who valued them, and not for those of us who worked beside them.”
Elumelu also announced that a memorial would be held in the coming days to honor the departed.
An eyewitness, Kareem, described the scene, saying, “The only thing I saw was a thick smoke from one side of the building. There was no visisbly fire at that point.”
Another eyewitness, who refused to disclose his identity, said he saw thick black smoke but he didn’t know that the tower was burning.
The fire at Afriland Tower was not an isolated incident, as a second fire gutted Mandilas Market and adjoining plazas along Taiwo Street, destroying over 1,000 stalls and goods worth millions of naira.
Witnesses described the destruction caused by the fire, with one noting that people were seen looting shops while the fire was still burning.
A trader, Rita, said the fire began in one of the market’s buildings and she linked the fire incident to possible negligence on the side of the traders or electrical faults.
The cause of both fires is yet to be determined, but the incidents have raised concerns over safety standards in Lagos’ high-density commercial centers.
Regulators and property developers are calling for stricter enforcement of building safety codes, particularly for older high-rise structures.
