GNI Building Fire: Death Toll Rises as Recovery Continues
- The Lagos State Government has confirmed the recovery of another body from the GNI building fire site on Lagos Island, eight days after the outbreak
- Emergency responders had rescued several injured victims, with eight males taken to hospital while others received first aid and were discharged at the scene
- Authorities had said recovery operations were ongoing as investigations continued into the cause of the December 24 fire
Emergency responders in Lagos have continued search and recovery operations at the Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, eight days after a major fire outbreak and partial collapse of the building.
The Lagos State Government confirmed on the evening of Wednesday, December 31, that one more body had been recovered from the scene, bringing fresh clarity to the human toll of the incident.
Source: Twitter
According to the latest update, eight injured males, including a fireman, were taken to hospital for treatment, while three males and two females sustained minor injuries and received first aid before being discharged at the scene.
One adult female was extricated dead from the collapsed structure. Two adult males were also recovered, while three other persons were burnt beyond recognition. Officials said recovery efforts were still ongoing.
Fire outbreak and early response
The fire broke out at the plaza, popularly known as the GNI building, at about 5 p.m. on December 24, 2025. The structure, used largely as a warehouse for clothing materials, was quickly engulfed, triggering a large scale emergency response from state agencies.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke Osanyintolu, said responders arrived to find the high rise building already on fire. He confirmed that the blaze started from one of the offices located on the fourth floor before spreading rapidly.
“Upon arrival of the Shark Response Team at the scene, a 22-storey building (Great Nigeria Insurance House) was found to have been engulfed by fire,” he said.
Source: Twitter
Spread of fire within building
Osanyintolu explained that preliminary findings showed the fire gained momentum within minutes.
“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,” he said.
At the early stage of the incident, authorities said casualty figures could not be confirmed due to ongoing firefighting and rescue operations.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service also provided a separate account of the incident. Its controller general, Margaret Adeseye, initially said no casualties had been recorded as of December 24.
“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.
The state government said recovery operations were still in progress as responders worked through debris within the collapsed sections of the building. Officials added that further updates would be issued as the situation develops.
Building collapses in Lagos
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that eight male construction workers who were trapped in the rubble of a collapsed Lagos building were eventually rescued.
The four-storey structure, which was under construction, gave way in the night.
Source: Legit.ng
