Fire: Three bodies recovered from GNI high-rise, billions of goods lost

A massive fire that broke out at the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House in Lagos on Wednesday evening, December 24, has claimed three lives and destroyed goods worth billions of naira, devastating importers and online vendors.

The blaze, which started around 5:00 p.m. on the fifth floor—an area used for warehouse storage and clothing sales—rapidly spread to at least five adjoining structures, including the old Lagos Central Mosque.

Firefighters battled the inferno through the night before bringing it under control on Christmas Day.

Emergency crews recovered three bodies from the rubble: an adult woman, a decapitated man, and another adult male. They also rescued eight men, including a firefighter, who sustained various injuries. Five others received on-site treatment for minor injuries.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service cited poor storage of highly combustible materials and the tightly packed nature of surrounding buildings as key factors that intensified the fire and complicated firefighting efforts.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, visited the scene, expressed sympathy for the victims, and pledged government support.

He acknowledged that the scale of loss was immense and difficult to fully quantify.

The building served as a major warehouse and commercial hub, housing goods for countless small businesses gearing up for the festive season.

On social media, vendors shared emotional accounts of ruin, with one importer lamenting losses running into billions of naira.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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