Videos Emerge as NAN Discloses Origin and Casualties of the Recent Devastating Lagos Island Fire Outbreaks

Lagos Island was today September 16, 2025, engulfed by chaos, as multiple fire outbreaks tore through some parts of the city buildings including markets within hours, leaving a trail of destruction and economic loss. The fires, which struck Afriland Tower on Broad Street and several plazas near Mandilas Market, destroyed goods and properties worth millions of naira, injured several people, and exposed critical gaps in the city’s fire safety infrastructure.

In a report by News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the first blaze erupted at approximately 1:24 PM today at Afriland Tower, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street housing offices, including a branch of United Bank for Africa (UBA). The Federal Fire Service (FFS) traced the fire’s origin to the inverter room in the basement, with thick smoke rapidly spreading to upper floors. Panic gripped workers as escape routes became inaccessible, forcing some to leap from windows on the sixth floor and higher. Video below captured the harrowing scenes, showing individuals dangling from ledges and others landing on the ground below, sustaining injuries from falls and smoke inhalation.

Video of the Afriland Tower Fire Outbreak

The FFS, alerted at 1:24pm as gathered, deployed teams from Onikan and Ebute Meta stations to evacuate trapped occupants and extinguish the flames. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service also responded and further urged the public to report emergencies via 112 or 08032003557. Well the fire was contained without further escalation, but not before damaging office equipment and goods.

However, UBA in a recent statement reassured her customers that the branch fire did not affect its core operations or data, emphasizing uninterrupted services.

Just hours later, around 7:00 PM, a second fire broke out at a showroom near Mandilas Market, also on Broad Street, spreading rapidly to Emab Plaza, a four-storey building and adjacent warehouses at Taiwo Line. The blaze, fueled by flammable goods like electronics, clothing, and textiles, gutted multiple plazas, with part of a building collapsing under the heat. Traders scrambled to salvage their wares, with eyewitnesses describing chaotic scenes of shop owners clutching charred items amid smoke and debris. The economic toll is staggering, with losses estimated in the tens of millions of naira.

Emergency response teams, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and FFS, battled the flames late into the night but faced significant challenges as limited water supply and severe traffic congestion delayed equipment access, prolonging the inferno. Watch video below:

While official casualty figures are pending, reports confirm injuries from jumps, smoke inhalation, and the partial building collapse at Mandilas. Traders, many of whom lost their entire livelihoods, expressed devastation. “Everything I worked for is gone.We need help, compensation, anything.” said Chinedu Okeke, a textile merchant at Emab Plaza.

Meanwhile, while we're yet to fully confirm if UBA lost any its staff or customer as against claimed, in the Afriland Towers fire outbreak, what has been confirmed is the death of four senior staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) which is being housed by Afriland Towers - a commercial high-rise on Broad Street, Lagos Island, housing multiple commercial tenants including UBA, FIRS, amongst others. FIRS occupies the sixth and seventh floors of the building, where its Medium Tax Audit and Onikan Emerging Tax Office are located.

Sadly, during the incident, some senior staff of FIRS could not escape or be rescued, and they lost their lives. The names of the FIRS employees confirmed dead in the incident are Mrs. Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), Mr. David Sunday-Jatto (Assistant Director), Mrs. Nkem Onyemelukwe (Senior Manager) and Mr. Peter Ifaranmaye (Manager).

UBA Bank has in a recent report clarified that there were no casualties among its staff or customers in that particular branch. Some reports, are however claiming higher numbers of deaths with figures suggesting up to ten, including the four FIRS staff.