Property valued at several millions of naira were destroyed in the early hours of Tuesday when a fire outbreak gutted a one-storey commercial building on Somoye Osundairo Street at Computer Village, in Ikeja, Lagos.
Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the agency received distress calls through its 767/112 toll-free emergency lines at about 1:55am, prompting the immediate activation of the state’s emergency response plan from its Command and Control Centre in Alausa.
Oke-Osanyintolu said LASEMA’s Response Team arrived at the scene at about 2:15am and discovered that a fire had engulfed a one-storey commercial building occupied by dealers in computers and accessories.
He added that responders were met with active flames and dense smoke, indicating intense combustion within the structure.
According to him, the building was largely used for the storage and sale of computers and related accessories, noting that the high volume of combustible materials inside the facility contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
On the cause of the incident, Oke-Osanyintolu stated that investigations were ongoing, stressing that the exact source of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
He said no fatalities were recorded during the incident, but disclosed that one firefighter sustained minor injuries in the course of the operation and was promptly treated on site by LASAMBUS officials.
Oke-Osanyintolu further explained that the entire upper floor of the building was completely razed, with all goods and property stored therein destroyed by the inferno.
He added that a preliminary physical assessment revealed that the structure had been partially compromised and would require an urgent structural integrity evaluation.
He said LASEMA immediately carried out a risk assessment on arrival and cordoned off the affected area, while safety and precautionary measures were activated to protect adjoining buildings and the surrounding environment.
The permanent secretary noted that the agency coordinated a multi-agency response involving the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and the Nigeria Police Force, successfully containing the fire and preventing it from spreading to neighbouring structures.
Oke-Osanyintolu said firefighting operations had been concluded, with damping-down measures ongoing to eliminate residual heat and avert re-ignition.
He added that rescue and recovery operations had also been completed.
He recommended a detailed investigation to determine the cause of the fire, a comprehensive structural assessment of the building, and a review of fire safety measures and storage protocols across commercial accessory buildings within Computer Village to prevent future occurrences.
