A major fire outbreak has broken out at the Great Nigeria Insurance House, a commercial plaza located on Martins Street in Lagos Island, Lagos State, in southwestern Nigeria, triggering an intense emergency response as concerns grow over traders reportedly trapped inside the building.
The fire reportedly started at about 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, 24 December 2025, inside the multi-storey structure, which is widely used as a warehouse and trading hub for clothing materials. Thick smoke and flames were seen billowing from several floors of the building as emergency responders battled to contain the blaze.
Okay News reports that officials of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, the government body responsible for coordinating disaster response in Nigeria’s most populous state, confirmed that the fire originated from one of the offices located on the fourth floor of the building.
Speaking on the development, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, explained that emergency responders arrived to find the building already heavily engulfed by fire.
“Upon arrival of the Shark Response Team at the scene, a 22-storey building, known as the Great Nigeria Insurance House, was found to have been engulfed by fire,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.
He added, “Preliminary investigation conducted by the Shark Response Team revealed that the fire started from one of the apartments on the fourth floor and quickly gained momentum, spreading to other parts of the floor and escalating upwards to the sixth floor within the 22-storey building.”
According to the emergency management chief, the exact cause of the fire had not yet been determined as of the time of reporting, while rescue and firefighting operations were still ongoing.
“Currently, the number of casualties cannot be ascertained, as firefighting operations are still ongoing,” he stated, noting that emergency responders were prioritizing safety and containment.
Providing further clarification, the Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said firefighters were making steady progress despite the intensity of the blaze.
“The fire is currently affecting up to the fifth floor of a 25-storey building. It originated on the fifth floor and has spread downwards from that level,” Adeseye said.
She explained that the affected plaza is primarily used for warehouse storage and the sale of clothing materials, with several corporate offices and a few retail shops operating within the premises.
“There has been no record of casualties as firefighting continues,” Adeseye added, offering cautious reassurance while stressing that operations were still active.
Emergency officials have urged residents and business owners in the area to stay clear of the scene as responders continue efforts to fully extinguish the fire and account for all occupants of the building.
