Scores of people were injured and property said to be worth billions of naira was lost to an inferno on Monday at the Great Nigeria House, Lagos Island area of Lagos State.
While no life was lost, three of the injured victims had fractures and were rushed to the state general hospital.
They had reportedly jumped from the first floor of the 25-storey building to escape being burnt in the fire.
Nobody could identify the cause of the fire which residents said broke out around 5am.
As of 2pm, nine water trucks belonging to United Bank for Africa, Union Bank, Julius Berger, Lagos State Government, Federal Fire Service, Eko Hotel and suites, were still combating the flame.
The complex is said to house shops where highly combustible materials like bags, foot wares and clothing materials are sold.
Eyewitnesses said the fire would not have spread to other floors if the fire services had responded on time.
Yusuf Alabi, a resident said, “The fire began from the first floor. When it started, many of us did what we could to put it out, while others called the state emergency line.
“The first callers here were UBA, Union Bank and Julius Berger fire service. While the fire raged, some of them went into the building to put out the fire. But the water in their tanker soon finished. They went to refill their tanks, but by the time they returned, the intensity of the fire had increased.”
When the water tanker belonging to the state fire service arrived the area, it could not reach the building because it broke down.
A top female official of a commercial house was seen by our correspondent talking to the fire service men.
She said, “I learnt about this fire around quarter to six in the morning. Immediately, I called several fire services. They all came except the Lagos State fire service. But when you people came about four hours later, your vehicle broke down and now your truck is obstructing other water tankers that came here to help.”
Around 10.20am, some police officers began arresting people at the site. A young man was assaulted for using his camera phone to snap pictures of the incident. Another young man was dragged into the van as the crowd became restive.
A young man was brought out around 10.40am from a side of the building. He was said to have jumped from the building in a bid to escape being killed by the smoke.
At exactly 11am, there was a stampede over fear that the building might collapse. An officer of the National Emergency Management Agency, Obiah Onoh, and another unidentified man were injured in the scramble.
Some of the marketers were seen lamenting their losses at the site. A woman kept screaming, “I have no hope again, come and shoot me. I have cloths in the building worth millions of naira.”
Stephen Ogechukwu, an indigene of Imo state said he had been dealing in shoes for two years in the building. He said he had begun evacuating his goods, adding that many of them had been stolen by thieves.
He said, “I have lost goods worth N2.5m in this inferno. Initially, I was trying to remove some of my goods, but I discovered the people taking them from me were taking them away. So I decided to stop and watch what will happen to the building.”
Another trader, Mumuni Ibrahim, said he lost shoes worth N500, 000.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu said, “When the incident occurred this morning, all the stakeholders in managing emergency came around, and you can see us combating the fire. We have been able to contain the fire and stop it from spreading. The materials in the shop are highly combustible and that is why the fire keeps raging.”
The spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency, South West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye said the fire was difficult to tackle because of some cars that were parked in the building.
“We are deploying soldiers to get people away from here for their own safety,” he added.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Wale Ahmed, addressed the criticism of delayed response of the state fire service.
He said, “I sympathise with people making such comment. Whenever things like this happen, people become emotional. We are professionals and we know what we are doing.”
He said after the emergency response phase was completed, the state government would take actions that would ensure the safety of people living within the vicinity.
The Managing Director, Great Nigeria Insurance Plc, Mrs. Cecilia Osipitan, said the 25-storey building was one of the assets the firm leased out, adding that the insurance firm was not currently occupying the place.
Osipitan, said that she received a call around 6.am that smoke was coming out of the building.
She said, “All the floors had fire extinguishers as preventive measures for disasters, but when the fire started, the offices were still locked and the police prevented people from entering the building to avoid looting. ”
She added that the fire was restricted to the third floor, and that the fire fighters would still be around to ensure that it did not go beyond the floor.
Source – Punch
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