A 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, was on Wednesday engulfed by fire, triggering emergency response and panic within the area.

The permanent secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident in a statement.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said preliminary reports indicated that the fire originated in an apartment on the fourth floor of the building.

He added that the fire later spread to the sixth floor before emergency responders arrived to contain the situation.

“The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, as investigations will commence after firefighting operations are concluded,” he said.

According to him, the number of casualties could not be immediately ascertained because rescue and containment efforts were still ongoing.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said six fire trucks and a skylift were deployed to the scene to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

He explained that emergency teams were working under challenging conditions because of the building’s height.

Responders at the scene included LASEMA, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Fire Service, the police, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, the Red Cross, and LRU Paramedics.

He disclosed that LRU Fire had also been activated to strengthen firefighting operations.

“Recovery operations are currently in progress, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said.

(NAN)