Following a devastating fire on a highrise on Lagos Island, the Lagos State Government has officially marked the old Great Nigerian Insurance (GNI) building for demolition.
Preliminary structural assessments revealed that the inferno caused significant damage, including partial collapses, leading authorities to classify the multi-storey structure as a public safety hazard.
During a site visit to Martin Street in Marina on Thursday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced the formation of a technical committee to oversee the demolition.
Led by the Commissioner for Special Duties, the committee is tasked with determining the safest method for dismantling the building.
Recommendations are expected within days, with demolition work slated to begin immediately after.
The governor highlighted the extent of the disaster, noting that the fire spread to five neighboring properties due to their close proximity; two were severely damaged, while three others sustained partial impact.
While the main fire is under control, emergency teams remain on-site to manage lingering smoke and hotspots, and evacuations of the immediate area continue to ensure resident safety.
“What we have now are pockets of fire that emergency responders are still addressing. The smoke continues to affect nearby buildings, which is why full evacuation of the area became necessary, given how closely clustered the structures are,” he said.
Reiterating concerns about the affected building, the governor disclosed that the 24- to 25-storey former insurance house had, over the last 10 to 15 years, been converted almost entirely into a warehousing facility rather than used as an office complex.
He recalled that the building had previously experienced one or two fire incidents, suggesting a recurring pattern of safety lapses.
“Virtually every floor had been turned into storage space. Initial reports indicate the fire started around the fourth and fifth floors, and our first responders were already on ground when the incident escalated,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He confirmed that no fatalities were recorded, adding that between seven and 10 people were rescued and taken to hospital by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) ambulances.
However, the fire caused two partial collapses within the main building and extensive damage to neighbouring structures.
The governor used the incident to caution traders and business owners to take fire safety more seriously, recalling a similar fire outbreak in the same area about three years ago.
He warned that Lagos had entered a high-risk period, as the dry months of January and February are typically prone to fire incidents.
According to him, the heightened risk is driven not only by human negligence but also by environmental factors, particularly the dry harmattan conditions, which enable fires to spread rapidly and become more difficult to control.
Meanwhile, the Federal Fire Service confirmed that firefighting operations were still ongoing.
The Operational Commander, Musa Emmanuel, said the fire had not been fully extinguished as of the time of reporting due to the scale of the blaze and the density of surrounding buildings.
“This fire started yesterday and we are still battling with it. It has not yet been brought under control; it is a continuous operation,” Emmanuel said.
He added that preliminary observations showed that between three and four buildings had been affected, noting that investigations into the cause of the fire and assessment of losses would only begin after the situation had been fully contained.
“Our priority for now is saving lives and protecting property. The cause of the fire will be determined once the fire is completely out,” he said.
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