A section of a seven-storey commercial building, Iddo House, owned by AG Leventis, was engulfed by fire on Thursday in the Iddo area of Lagos, near Oyingbo.
The blaze, which broke out around 11 a.m., destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started on the first floor, specifically in the archive room, which spans about 108 square meters. The building houses the operations of the Nigerian Bottling Company PLC.
Confirming the incident, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said, “Our preliminary findings suggest that the fire was caused by self-ignition due to rising temperatures in the confined archival space. Fortunately, no lives were lost, but the damage is substantial.”
While the exact extent of the losses is yet to be determined, authorities have commenced investigations to ascertain the cause of the fire and prevent future occurrences.