Disaster averted as fire guts Navy house in Lagos

A major fire outbreak on Saturday evening gutted the top floor of a storey building at Navy House, No. 41 Cameroon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, but a swift multi-agency response prevented the inferno from spreading to other floors and adjoining structures.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said its Shark Team, deployed from its Lekki Base, received the distress call at about 5:12pm and arrived at the scene within the estimated 20-minute response time.

On arrival, responders reportedly found the top floor of the building completely engulfed in flames, prompting immediate activation of the emergency response plan.

Preliminary findings at the scene indicated that the fire was triggered by a power surge.

The blaze was eventually brought under control through a coordinated operation involving LASEMA’s Shark Team, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Federal Fire Service, Navy Dockyards Limited, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigeria Police Force.

The multi-agency intervention prevented the fire from spreading beyond the affected floor, averting what could have become a major disaster in the high-profile Ikoyi neighbourhood.

LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said no death or injury was recorded in the incident.

He added that after the fire was extinguished, emergency responders carried out a comprehensive risk assessment, hazard identification and dampening-down operation to prevent possible re-ignition.

The agency said the fire was completely extinguished by 8:33pm, after which the Shark Team safely returned to its base.

LASEMA urged Lagos residents to remain safety-conscious and promptly report emergencies through the toll-free emergency numbers 767 and 112.