Fire guts lower floors of Lagos high-rise

 

PHOTO | XINHUA A fire rages on the bottom floors of Great Nigeria House in Lagos on November 4, 2013.  XINHUA

In Summary

• The Great Nigeria House, considered the fifth tallest building in Nigeria, accommodates Mainstreet Bank and contained offices and warehouses
• The cause of the fire is still unknown, and neighbouring buildings have been evacuated

By XINHUA
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LAGOS

An early morning fire engulfed a commercial building in Lagos on Monday, causing serious damage to the 22-storey high-rise tower on the Lagos Island broad-martins street on Monday.

According to a Xinhua reporter at the scene, tenants of the building and traders wept as flames engulfed the Great Nigeria House. However, there was nobody in the building because the fire started before work hours.

The Great Nigeria House, considered the fifth tallest building in Nigeria, houses several offices and businesses.

Many of the tennants were seen scrambling to salvage their goods from the burning building, as the blaze brought commercial activities to a standstill in the busy Balogun area of Lagos Island, a section of the country's economic hub.

Kazzem Alabi, a businessman, told Xinhua that the fire started at about 6 am local time and was first noticed on the first floor. By 10:30 am, the fire had spread through the first four floors.

The cause of the fire is still unknown, and neighbouring buildings have been evacuated.