A major fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon at Afriland Tower on Broad Street, Lagos Island, where one of United Bank for Africa’s (UBA) branches is located, sending thick plumes of smoke across the busy commercial district and triggering a large-scale emergency response. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said the emergency call came in at about 13:38 WAT as fire crews from Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu rushed to the scene to battle the blaze and evacuate occupants.
Eyewitness videos shared widely on social media captured scenes of panic as workers and other occupants scrambled to escape. Footage shows people climbing out of windows, firefighters and rescuers assisting evacuees, and at least one harrowing clip of a person jumping from a storey to reach safety. Several outlets reported that dozens of workers were trapped briefly before rescue teams brought them out and that property inside the building suffered heavy smoke and fire damage.
Early accounts from officials and reporters indicate the fire likely started in the building’s basement inverter room before spreading to higher floors; a formal cause will be determined only after an investigation by fire authorities and building officials. Fire crews worked to contain the blaze and douse hot spots while emergency personnel tended to those evacuated from the building.
UBA moved quickly to clarify that the incident affected the Broad Street/Afriland Tower branch and not its Marina head office, assuring customers that the safety of staff and customers was the priority and that contingency measures would be used to limit disruption to services. Traffic and business activity around Broad Street were disrupted as emergency responders cordoned off the area and worked to bring the situation under control.
As of the latest reports from local media and emergency officials there were no confirmed fatalities, though authorities continued to assess injuries and the full extent of structural and material damage. Investigators will examine electrical installations, backup power systems and fire-safety compliance as part of their probe into how the blaze started and spread. Members of the public were urged to avoid the area to allow rescue and firefighting teams to operate unhindered.
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