18 Rescued as Fire Guts Old Terminal at Lagos Airport

No fewer than 18 people have been rescued following a fire outbreak at the old Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Monday.

The incident, which began in the afternoon, saw emergency responders battle the blaze for several hours before it was brought under control.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed that the fire was fully extinguished by 11:24 pm on Monday. She explained that a distress call was received at 3:52 pm, prompting the immediate deployment of firefighters from Isolo, Bolade, Ikeja, and Alausa HQ stations.

They were joined by federal and state emergency responders coordinated by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

According to Mrs. Adeseye, the fire originated in the IT Server Room located within the E-Wing of the Departure Lounge and subsequently affected the adjoining Radio Communication Room. She noted that the nature of the building, which is under reconstruction, initially made it difficult for responders to access the seat of the fire.

“Through coordinated multi-agency efforts, the fire was successfully confined, preventing further spread to other sections of the building under reconstruction, which initially proved difficult due to inaccessibility to the seat of the fire given the nature of the structure,” the statement read.

All 12 personnel who were inside the Control Tower at the time were safely rescued. Additionally, six other individuals were rescued from other sections of the building. While they sustained injuries, they are reported to be in stable condition.

Mrs. Adeseye confirmed that investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, and further details will be made public in a subsequent report.

The fire had earlier caused a temporary disruption to flight operations, with thick smoke billowing from the old terminal and some international flights being diverted.

However, the Airport Police Command in Lagos confirmed in a separate statement on Tuesday that normalcy has been restored. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Adeola, stated that flight operations, which were temporarily disrupted, have fully resumed.

He added that activities have been relocated to the New Terminal, while the Old Terminal 1 building remains closed to all operations and access pending further assessment and clearance.