LASEMA has confirmed that the fire at Great Nigeria Insurance building on Martin Street, Lagos Island, killed three people.
Gatekeepers News reports that the fire broke out around 6pm on Christmas Eve and quickly spread through the 25-storey building, injuring at least 12 people and destroying goods worth millions of naira.
LASEMA recovered the victims from the rubble four days after the incident. The agency handed the body of the female victim to her husband and identified the other two victims as adult males.
Rescuers saved 13 other people from the blaze. Eight injured males, including a firefighter hurt during the rescue, received treatment in hospital, while five others, three males and two females, received first aid at the scene and later left.
Teams from LASEMA, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Red Cross, and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service continue to search the building for anyone still trapped.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited the site on Friday and ordered workers to demolish the building completely. He explained that fire caused partial collapse in sections of the structure, creating risks that made full demolition necessary.
Officials warned residents to stay away from the site while emergency teams and demolition crews continue their work.
Investigators are examining the cause of the fire, and preliminary reports suggest electrical faults may have triggered the blaze.
