The Afriland inferno

ON Tuesday, September 17, tragedy struck on Broad Street, Lagos Island, as a devastating fire ravaged Afriland Towers, a six-storey commercial building owned by the real estate firm, Afriland Properties. It was an extremely chaotic scene as clouds of smoke swept through the building housing offices of the United Bank for Africa, Federal Inland Revenue Service and United Capital Plc, and desperate occupants jumped down to safety from the upper floors. Initially, four persons were confirmed killed in the incident, but the sad stories of six additional victims were later told. The deceased were staffers of FIRS and United Capital Plc. They were reportedly suffocated by smoke from a burning lithium battery inverter system.

According to Afriland, the fire originated in the inverter room located in the basement of Afriland Towers, and safety protocols were immediately activated. However, the thick black smoke and intense heat generated quickly filled the basement and spread rapidly throughout the building. The smoke severely compromised visibility and restricted access to designated evacuation routes. Under the challenging conditions, some occupants resorted to exiting through the windows in their efforts to reach safety, and the intensity of the incident created significant disorder and hindered effective communication. The firm added that even though the entire building is equipped with fire alarms and safety systems, which were triggered, some occupants indicated that they heard them while some others did not.

Following the public outrage over the perceived tardiness of firefighters in putting out the fire, the Lagos State government complimented its response to the incident. Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, attributed the fatalities to smoke inhalation by occupants trying to exit the building during the fire. He said: “At 1:30 p.m., we received a distress call and quickly mobilised. On the ground were LASAMBUS, LASEMA, and the Safety Commission. The Director of Fire went straight into the building to ascertain where the fire was coming from and discovered it was from the basement. It was found that it was caused by the inverter batteries in the basement. The smoke from the fire quickly spread through the basement and went up across all the floors. The tower had adequate fire rescue equipment, exit points, and an alarm system. The alarm was working at the time of the incident. People panicked, anxious to get out of the building, while inhaling the smoke, which resulted in casualties. No one died from burns caused by the fire.

Reacting to the incident, President Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, extended condolences to the families of victims. Tinubu also sympathised with the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the United Bank of Africa Plc, and Afriland Properties Limited, urging“more caution, training, and alertness to avert such emergencies in the future.” On his part, Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the immediate families, organisations and Lagosians who lost their loved ones and properties during the incident. The governor, who described the incident as unfortunate, pledged the Lagos State government’s continued support for further prevention and arrest of such ugly incidents.

The Afriland fire incident is indeed distressing. It came just as another incident broke out at Mandilas market, and led to the loss of innocent lives in extremely gruesome circumstances. We commiserate with FIRS and United Capital Plc over the loss of their staffers. We also commiserate with the families and friends of the victims and pray that they will have the fortitude to survive this hour of trial. No doubt, the incident has left a vacuum that cannot be filled in the affected families who lost breadwinners and loved ones. We hope that they will receive all the assistance that they need to pull through. We sympathise with those injured in the incident as they made a desperate jump to safety amidst the blazing fire and urge that they be given all the support they need to get back on their feet. Jumping down from a high-rise building is often like a suicide mission, but the situation in this case precipitated the action.

The Afriland incident caused huge losses in human and material terms, and everything that can be done to forestall a recurrence needs to be done. In the wake of the incident, the Institute of Safety Professionals of Nigeria (ISPON) harped on the need for robust evacuation plans and well-maintained fire safety equipment for occupants of high-rise buildings. According to the organisation, equipment such as sprinklers, alarms, extinguishers and hydrants, complemented by periodic fire drills, are needed in such places to help in such situations.

The institute also called on governments and businesses to prepare for the emerging realities in the maintenance of high-rise buildings with the fast-paced adoption of alternative energy sources. These are, we believe, commonsensical recommendations, especially given the criminal lethargy associated with the firefighting system in the country. It is instructive that in spite of the clarifications offered by the Lagos State Safety Commission, some of the survivors of the Afriland incident insisted that it could have been better managed.  Said a survivor: “We were on our own for a long time. People were jumping from the building, and we were trying to help them, but the emergency services were nowhere to be found.” And another: “This tragedy could have been avoided if the emergency services had responded quickly. We need to learn from this and make sure it never happens again.”

No doubt, all organisations need an effective fire management system and personnel employed specifically for fire management. There should also be regular enlightenment campaigns on fire outbreaks, how to manage them, and how to contact safety organisations almost immediately. In recent years, Lagos, like many other parts of the country, has witnessed deadly infernos in markets, residential complexes and office towers, and it is worth noting that the state government has been making strenuous efforts to contain the menace. But there is always room for improvement and that is why we believe that the state has to study the situation closely and improve on its firefighting capabilities and synergy with federal agencies.

In many countries of the world, including Nigeria, helicopters are used to neutralise fire outbreaks in high-rise buildings. It is common knowledge that helicopters are crucial in fighting outbreaks such as wildfires, providing rapid aerial attack capabilities, delivering water or fire retardant, transporting firefighters and equipment, and performing reconnaissance. They are reputed for their ability to quickly access water sources, hover for precision drops, and rapidly transport fire-fighting personnel. In particular, the Air Force can and does help during fire outbreaks by providing aircraft for aerial firefighting, supporting ground crews with resources and personnel through mutual aid agreements, and performing search and rescue operations. It is taken for granted that its specialised firefighting personnel, equipment and aerial capabilities are critical for extinguishing wildfires and other large-scale fire events, especially in difficult terrains. There is no reason the Nigerian Air Force cannot help in containing fire outbreaks if properly engaged.

We are extremely saddened by the incident at Afriland and hope that there will be no recurrence. The key is vigilance, compliance with the law, and effective communication during outbreaks. May the souls of the victims of the Afriland fire rest in sweet repose.

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