Breaking: Fire at Lagos airport, flights diverted

An early Thursday morning fire has been reported at the E54 Bridge of Murtala Muhammed International Airport Terminal One, Ikeja, Lagos.

Smoke was detected billowing out from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the airport’s E Wing, a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Federal Airports Authority, FAAN, Mrs. Obiageli Orah Director, said.

Although the fire was brought under control at 6:41 am, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing.

The statement said:“At 05:29 hrs, smoke was detected billowing from the E54 Bridge, leading electrical engineers to immediately cut off power to the entire E Wing. The Airport Rescue and Firefighting Services (ARFFS) team was quick to respond, arriving at the scene by 05:30 hrs.

“Initial suspicions point to sparks from an electrical unit as the cause, but a thorough investigation is ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.

“The incident, which had escalated into a fire, was brought under control by 06:41 hrs. Efforts to ventilate the smoke from the building are in progress.

“In the meantime, all flight operations in Terminal 1 of MMA have been diverted to the D Wing. More details will follow shortly.”