Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
LAGOS, Nigeria — At least three people have been confirmed dead and several others injured following a devastating fire and subsequent partial building collapse at the Great Nigeria Insurance House, a high‑rise commercial plaza at Balogun Market on Lagos Island that erupted in flames during the festive season. Among the victims was a trader who had recently returned from China, underscoring the tragic toll of the disaster on families and business owners preparing for the new year.
The fire broke out on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2025, in the 25‑storey building used principally for the sale and storage of textiles, clothing and other goods, before quickly spreading to multiple floors and adjacent structures. Emergency responders and witnesses described a fierce blaze that ignited on the fourth floor and rapidly engulfed the sixth floor and beyond.
In the days that followed the inferno, a detached portion of the plaza weakened by the intense heat gave way and collapsed, trapping traders and workers under rubble as firefighting and rescue teams battled the flames and structural instability. Officials from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the recovery of three bodies on the fourth day of rescue operations. The deceased included one adult female and two adult males, with the woman’s remains handed over to her husband.
One of the men was identified by local traders as Obum, a cloth merchant who lived in China and had returned to his home country for the festive season to sell goods and visit family. Eyewitnesses said he was assisting with evacuating stock from his shop when the fire‑weakened section of the building collapsed. Traders recounted how he even called friends from beneath the rubble in the early hours after the incident, appealing for help as the structure gave way.
Beyond the fatalities, rescue teams evacuated at least 13 living victims from the disaster zone. Among those taken to hospital were eight males with varying degrees of injury, including a firefighter who was hurt while assisting in the search and rescue, according to LASEMA. Another group of victims — five people, including three males and two females — sustained minor injuries, received first aid near the scene and were released.
The blaze destroyed millions of naira worth of goods and left several buildings damaged, inflicting heavy economic losses on traders just as the peak festive shopping period approached. Fire officials and emergency responders continued combing through the rubble in search of additional survivors amid concerns that others may remain buried beneath the collapsed section.
Governor Babajide Sanwo‑Olu visited the scene in the wake of the disaster and ordered the complete demolition of the compromised structure once firefighting efforts had fully subsided, stressing the need for strict adherence to safety protocols and urgent action to prevent future tragedies in high‑risk commercial areas.
The catastrophe has reignited public debate about fire safety compliance, structural integrity and emergency preparedness in crowded marketplaces that are vital to Lagos’s economy but vulnerable to rapid spread of fire and collapse when safety standards are not rigorously enforced.
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