A fire in a high-rise building in Lagos, Nigeria, has resulted in the deaths of at least ten individuals and injuries to 25 others. The incident occurred at the seven-storey Afriland Towers, which houses various commercial enterprises. Following the outbreak of the fire, social media footage showed occupants jumping from the third and fourth floors in an attempt to escape.
Many of those affected were commercial workers trapped inside the building. Survivors reported suffering from burns, fractures while escaping, and respiratory issues due to smoke inhalation. Authorities indicated that rapid smoke spread and inadequate evacuation information disoriented occupants, leading some to break windows to escape, which resulted in significant injuries.
Chukwuemeka Eze, a trader who witnessed the event, noted the panic among those inside and mentioned that a wooden ladder was used to assist trapped individuals. The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (Lasema) stated that the fire originated in the building’s basement, where electrical equipment is located. They suspect that poor maintenance and inadequate ventilation contributed to overheating and subsequent combustion.
Lasema highlighted the absence of mechanical smoke extraction systems, which exacerbated the smoke situation, along with non-functional public address systems and insufficient signage. Furthermore, it was reported that the building’s sealed windows and the lack of a designated incident manager hindered evacuation efforts, as even facility managers succumbed to smoke inhalation.
The fire was extinguished after several hours, but thick smoke had already permeated the entire building. In response to this incident, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. The Nigeria Federal Fire Service has initiated an investigation into the causes of the fire, including safety system conditions and compliance with fire regulations, with plans to publicly release their findings and implement recommendations.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr704re0kmpo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss