A fire outbreak on Tuesday afternoon shook parts of Afriland Tower, a six-storey building on Broad Street, Lagos Island, sending workers and passersby into panic. Emergency services quickly rushed to the scene to contain the situation.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the incident was reported at exactly 1:38 p.m. Fire crews from Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu stations were immediately deployed, arriving promptly to battle the flames.
According to a statement signed by Ogabi Olajide, Deputy Controller General of the agency, the fire started from the inverter room located in the building’s basement. Thick smoke spread across several floors, causing fear and confusion among occupants.
“Evacuation of occupants is in progress, while firefighting operations have been concluded, dousing the earlier panic before the arrival of the first responders,” the agency said in its update.
As of press time, no casualties had been recorded. However, officials confirmed that the smoke engulfed multiple floors of the tower, making the rescue effort all the more urgent.
