Afriland Tower, a six-storey building on Broad Street, Lagos Island, is currently engulfed in flames, sparking panic among occupants and disrupting business activities in the area.
The incident occur around 1:30 pm. The fire reportedly started in the inverter room located in the basement, with thick smoke spreading rapidly across multiple floors.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service received a distress call at 1:38 p.m. and promptly deployed fire crews from Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu fire stations to the scene.
“The Federal Fire Service is actively responding to a fire outbreak at Afriland Tower, Broad Street, Lagos Island, following a call received at 13:24 hrs.
Upon receiving the alert, the Federal Fire Service stations at Onikan and Ebute Meta were immediately deployed to the scene. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire originated from the inverter room located at the basement level, with smoke rapidly spreading across multiple floors of the high-rise building” The Federal Fire Service confirmed the report.
Firefighters have contained the blaze, and evacuation of occupants is ongoing.
Authorities confirmed that the swift response helped prevent casualties before the arrival of emergency teams.
No casualties have been reported as of press time, although some individuals were seen jumping from upper floors or being rescued with ladders. The extent of damage to the building and its contents is still being assessed.The United Bank for Africa bank UBA has clarified that the affected building is not their head office, UBA House, Marina, but rather Afriland Tower, which houses one of their branches.
The bank has assured that they have ensured the safety and well-being of their staff and customers in the branch.
