There was pandemonium yesterday, when fire engulfed the West African Examination Council (WAEC) headquarters in Jibowu, Lagos.
The Guardian gathered that the fire started at about 7:10a.m., as a result of an electrical surge from the lift, while the generating set was on and the situation made workers, who had resumed duty, scamper to safety.
During the incident, some staff of the council stopped newsmen from carrying out their duties despite introducing themselves and possessing valid Identity cards.
A reporter narrated how she was intercepted from carrying out her duties, as officers forcefully took her phone used in recording, deleted all pictures and videos before the head of the public administration department came to her rescue and returned the gadgets.
An eyewitness said firefighters from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) arrived at the scene of the incident before they were joined by LASEMA to extinguish the fire.
According to him, a staff of the Council who was trapped on the 12th floor, attempted to jump through the window to escape suffocation was later rescue.
The witness urged the state government to provide water hoses for important buildings, which are used as public offices in case of incidents.
Confirming the incident, LASEMA said the fire incident was caused by a “power surge” on the third floor of the building.
The team head of Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA), one Mr. Isaac confirmed that seven people were rescued and the fire contained due to prompt intervention of firefighters, responders and the LASEMA officers.
“Upon arrival at the aforementioned location, a section of WAEC multi-storey building was found to be on fire.
“Further investigations revealed that the fire started on the 3rd floor. “A total of seven female staff of the council were trapped on the 5th and 7th floors and were safely evacuated by the rescue team on the ground.”
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The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the Council said the fire affected some materials and documents of the council, including property in the building.
Also, spokesperson for the Council, Moyosola Adesina, in a statement, assured that everything was under control and no one was hurt, while those in the building were successfully evacuated by fire fighters.
credit:The Guardian
