Four yet-to-be-identified persons are currently battling for their lives after fire gutted a six-storey building at the Afriland Tower, which houses a branch of the United Bank for Africa and other companies on Broad Street in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.
This is just as another plaza located in the same area, was gutted by fire, which led to a part of the building caving in.
It was learnt that the first incident caused panic among occupants and passersby in the busy commercial hub.
According to multiple videos shared on social media, individuals were seen attempting to jump from the storey building, while others were rescued with the aid of ladders by residents and passersby.
Crowds gathered in front of the building also watched in panic as firefighters and volunteers attempted to bring the situation under control.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Tuesday, the Deputy Controller of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Ogabi Olajide, said the emergency call was received at 1:38 p.m., and fire crews from the Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu fire stations responded.
“The call was received at 13:38 hours, and fire crews from Ebute Elefun Fire Station and Sari Iganmu Fire Station responded.
“The fire originated in the inverter room located in the basement of the building, while smoke spread across multiple floors and engulfed the structure,” Olajide stated.
According to him, evacuation of occupants was in progress, while firefighting operations had been concluded, dousing the earlier panic before the arrival of the first responders.
An unidentified emergency responder, who was interviewed at the scene of the incident, has said he was able to rescue two people out of the fire.
“I brought out two people with my own hands from the top of the building, but when the firefighters came, we were asked to go out,” he said.
While providing an update, the firefighting agency official, in another terse statement obtained, stated that 11 persons had been evacuated into the ambulances.
He further explained that out of the 11, a total of nine casualties were rescued, while five individuals were successfully resuscitated.
“Several others escaped unhurt, while efforts are currently ongoing to resuscitate the remaining four individuals. Relevant emergency agencies are on the ground to ensure crowd control and easy movement of emergency responders.”
In another incident, PUNCH Metro gathered that a part of the Central Plaza located on Broad Street, Lagos Island, caved in after it was gutted by fire on Tuesday.
The inferno, which began at about 7:40 p.m., spread rapidly through the multi-storey shopping complex.
Our correspondent, who monitored the incident, observed that the collapse occurred while the emergency responders were making efforts to curtail the inferno.
Traders and shop owners were also seen carrying out their wares and equipment in an effort to salvage their livelihoods.
An eyewitness who did not want to be mentioned in print told PUNCH Metro that the occupants of the building had been evacuated before a part of it collapsed.
“When the fire started, the traders had been evacuated before the building collapsed.
“The collapse occurred while the emergency responders were trying to curtail the fire. I don’t think anybody was trapped under the building,” the eyewitness said.
When contacted for a reaction to the second incident, the spokesperson for the LSFRS, Shakiru Amodu, disclosed that the rescue operation was ongoing.
He, however, said details of the incident would be disclosed upon the conclusion of the operations.
“We are at the scene of the incident. I cannot give details at the moment because the rescue operation is still ongoing. Details will be provided later,” Amodu said.
As of the time of filing this report, the exact causes of the fire incidents could not be ascertained.
PUNCH Metro had on September 5 reported that a fire gutted A1 Petroleum Filling Station on Isawo Road, off Agric Bus Stop, Ikorodu, Lagos, causing panic among residents and commuters in the area.
Reports indicated that the blaze started from a diesel-laden truck parked within the premises of the station, forcing people to scamper for safety as fears of a possible explosion spread.
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