Admin I Friday, Dec. 26.25
LAGOS – Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Christmas Day, visited Great Nigeria House on Martins Street in Lagos Island for on-the-spot assessment of the fire situation that engulfed the 25-storey building.
The fire broke out at 6pm on Christmas Eve, resulting in immediate evacuation of the high-rise building that was converted to a warehouse by traders in the Central Business District.
Firefighters and first responders from Lagos State Government worked overnight to battle the intense inferno, which also affected some nearby structures.
Sanwo-Olu arrived amid frantic efforts by firefighters to salvage the surrounding buildings, which were already evacuated. The Governor was accompanied by top State officials and Commissioner of Police, Jimoh Moshood.
It was gathered that the fire erupted within 4th and 5th floor of the building, prompting the first responders to deploy aerial ladders and equipment that could attack the fire at that level.
At 8pm on Wednesday, the fire became more aggressive, spreading to other floors, ostensibly due to the storage of flammable materials in the building. The situation went out of control, leading to the deployment of Federal Fire Brigade and firefighters from the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) to support the effort.
No casualty was recorded, but ambulances of Lagos Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA) evacuated 10 people to hospital after suffering less severe injuries.
Sanwo-Olu ordered the complete demolition of the Great Nigeria House, as the building already suffered partial collapse during the inferno.
The Governor set up a committee, headed by the Commissioner for Special Duties, Mr. Olugbega Oyerinde, to design the safest means to bring down the building within a shortest possible time.
Sanwo-Olu said: “This fire incident on Martins Street, Lagos Island, was reported around 18:00hrs yesterday, specifically at the old Great Nigeria Building, which has been put to a lot of warehousing use in the last 15 years. The same building had previously experienced fire damage on one or two occasions.
“The building was converted into storage and warehouse space that is against the original plan of office accommodation. Virtually every floor became a warehouse in one form or the other. All our first responders have been on since yesterday to contain the fire.
“We have observed a partial collapse of the main building, which requires that we bring down the entire building. I have set up a committee that is headed by the Commissioner for Special Duties, who will bring forward the best method to bring down the entire building within a shortest possible time.”
Sanwo-Olu said immediate causes of this incident were yet to be officially determined, but added that preliminary report he got suggested careless storage of flammable wares and traders not adhering to strict safety and fire precautions.
The Governor noted that other buildings gutted in the inferno were affected due to the clustering of structures, which aided the fire to spread to them.
Two of the nearby buildings, Sanwo-Olu disclosed, were heavily impacted, while others were partially affected.
“We are monitoring and watching the development. But the main source of the fire has been contained to the barest minimum; we now have pockets of fire to deal with. I have directed complete evacuation of the nearby buildings in order to keep them safe,” the Governor said.
It should be recalled that Lagos Government embarked on yearly advocacy in the beginning of dry season, sensitising residents on safe handling of flammable materials and storage.
The Governor said the advocacy came on the heels of observation of a pattern that showed the level of damage fire could potentially wreak during dry seasons.
Given the magnitude of the incident and past similar events, Sanwo-Olu directed the State’s safety and emergency response team to raise fire awareness in renewed advocacy.
He said: “The months of January and February are still high risk periods when fire can cause severe damage based on weather, not particularly about the carelessness of the people.
So, there has to be the highest level of awareness and protection.
“People are not meant to keep materials that are highly flammable in their stores and warehouses. These are part of the immediate measures being taken to prevent another major fire outbreak. We will take the advocacy to all markets and offices. People need to be more conscious, alive and responsible to ensure we do not unduly expose our neighbors and ourselves to fire.”
