Early morning fire guts Lagos Airport Hotel

There was confusion at the Lagos
Airport Hotel, Ikeja, yesterday, after Harold
Building, a major building in the hotel, was
gutted by fire, destroying property worth several
millions of Naira.

The fire, which also spread to the banquet hall
and Osun Hall, forced the hotel staff to vacate
the building when the fire started at about 5a.m.
The Emergency Response Team of Lagos State
Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, to
rush to the scene.

When Vanguard visited the hotel yesterday,
plumes of smoke were still coming out of the
building.

The fire was said to have been caused by a power
surge in the Banquet Hall, before it spread to
other sections of the hotel.

The Director of Lagos Fire Service, Mr. Rasak
Fadipe and General Manager of LASEMA, Mr.
Michael Akindele, confirmed the incident to
Vanguard.

Fadipe said that fire trucks from Alausa Station
and Ikeja were deployed to the scene to combat
the fire from spreading to adjoining structures
within the hotel complex.

Akindele said: “We are happy that there was no
loss of life or injury sustained by anyone.
However, properties worth millions of Naira
were destroyed by the inferno.”

Damage
Narrating the extent of damage, the General
Manager said: “Three rooms, rooms 270, 271
and 272, on the second floor of Harold Building
were gutted. The entire computers section of
Osun Hall and Harold Kitchen were totally
destroyed by the inferno.

On the cause of the inferno, Akindele said that
proper investigation would be carried out by
appropriate agencies to ascertain the real cause
of the fire outbreak.

He, however, urged companies and property
owners “to ensure they put in place emergency
response plan and safety precautions to avert
future occurrence.”

Effort to gain entrance into the banquet hall
where the fire emanated proved abortive as
officials of the hotel, owned by the six South-
West States (Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and
Oyo) under the aegis of Oodua Group, barred
visitors.

An official, who identified himself as the Chief
Security of the hotel, said: “There is no fire
disaster here. In fact, nothing happened.”

Source: Vanguardngr