Fresh facts have emerged on the cause of the deaths recorded in the fire at Afriland Tower in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State, as emergency officials disclosed that smoke from a burning lithium battery inverter system was responsible for most of the fatalities.
PUNCH Metro reported that two separate fire incidents rocked the Lagos Island Business District on Tuesday, which left several others injured and goods worth millions of naira destroyed.
While the first fire started at the Afriland Tower in Marina, the second gutted Mandilas Market and adjoining plazas along Taiwo Street.
According to multiple videos shared on social media and seen by PUNCH Metro, individuals were seen attempting to jump from the Afriland Tower storey building, which had thick smoke coming out of the windows, while others were rescued with the aid of ladders by residents and passersby.
While some of the victims were successfully resuscitated on the spot, others were evacuated into the ambulances and taken to the hospitals.
However, in the last 48 hours after the incident, a total of 10 individuals, staff members of the Federal Inland Revenue Services and United Capital, a financial and investment services quartered in the tower, died at the various hospitals they were taken to.
Speaking to PUNCH Metro, some officials involved in the rescue operations, as well as the medical personnel who attended to them at the hospitals, confirmed to our correspondent that most of the deceased victims suffered from complications of the hazardous smoke they inhaled in the building.
An emergency responder, who did not want his name in print as he was not authorised to speak to the press on the matter, specifically noted that the smoke was from the lithium battery powering the inverter.
The Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Afriland Properties, Chukwunonso Okafor, while explaining the likely cause of the incident in a statement on Tuesday, stated that the incident began in the inverter room as smoke spread quickly through the building, including the emergency exits.
The source, who is a senior official, told our correspondent that the victims who panicked during the incident had inhaled the smoke before help could come.
“The occupants of the building had inhaled smoke while they panicked to exit the building. The fire itself was never the threat; it was the lithium battery powering the inverter, which was an alternative source of power that ignited. So, the smoke travelled fast before we got there. Nobody can inhale that kind of smoke for one minute without becoming unconscious,”
Another official said the smoke displaced the oxygen in the building, further making it difficult for the occupants to breathe.
“The smoke, laden with carbon monoxide, quickly displaced oxygen inside the tower, leaving trapped occupants gasping for breath. Although the flames were extinguished in record time, many of the victims had already suffered critical inhalation injuries.”
Contrary to earlier fears that victims might have died while being evacuated, the source added that no corpse was recovered at the scene. Rather, the 10 confirmed casualties were said to have succumbed later in hospitals after inhaling the toxic smoke. “Those who inhaled smoke but received timely treatment survived. It was only the severe cases that led to death,” the source added.
One of the health officials who attended to the victim confirmed to PUNCH Metro that most of the casualties were treated for complications as a result of the smoke.
The official added that the underlying health conditions of some of the victims triggered the complications.
“When they were brought here, the emergency responders briefed us that they could not be resuscitated at the scene of the incident due to the heavy smoke they had inhaled in the building. Meanwhile, during treatment, it was discovered that some of them had underlying health issues which triggered complications, resulting in their death,” the source disclosed.
Adding a scientific perspective, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at Adekunle Ajasin University in Ondo State, Bankole Owolabi, warned that fumes from lithium batteries are particularly hazardous because they contain heavy metals.
He added that they interact with the lungs and could cause cancers and other serious health problems.
“When a lithium battery explodes, the thick black smoke you see comes from its carbon content burning. But beyond the soot, dangerous metals such as magnesium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel escape into the air.
“These are heavy metals. When inhaled, they can interact with the lungs and blood, leading to bioaccumulation in the body. Over time, this can cause cancers and other serious health problems. So, people in such an environment are not just inhaling ordinary smoke; they are inhaling heavy metals, which are very dangerous,” he explained.
A medical doctor, Odunaiya Sulaimon, explained that in cases of massive smoke inhalation, the inhaled carbon monoxide competes with oxygen and attaches itself more strongly to red blood cells, forming what is known as carboxyhemoglobin.
“As a result, organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain are deprived of oxygen, a condition called ischemia. Without oxygen, tissues begin to die, leading to necrosis and organ failure,” he added.
He noted that prolonged exposure can cause progressive brain damage and ultimately brain death, stressing that smoke inhalation remains the primary cause of fatalities in most fire disasters.
Meanwhile, the Federal Fire Service has announced a nationwide fire safety compliance audit following the fire at the Afriland Tower, Lagos Island.
In a statement on Thursday, the service’s spokesman, Paul Abraham, said the Controller General, Samuel Olumode, explained that the audit would cover both public and private buildings nationwide, assessing their level of preparedness against fire disasters, enforcing safety standards, and sanctioning errant facilities.
The statement partly read, “The Controller General, on behalf of the Service, commiserates with the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Zacc Adelabu Adedeji, the entire Management and Staff of FIRS, Chairman of the United Bank for Africa, Mr. Tony Elumelu, the entire Management and Staff of UBA Group, as well as the families of all those who lost their lives in this tragedy, praying for the repose of the departed and comfort for their loved ones.
“In a decisive move to prevent a recurrence, the Controller General announced that the Service will roll out a nationwide Task Force on Fire Safety Compliance to audit public and private buildings, enforce safety standards, sanction non-compliance, train facility managers and staff, and strengthen collaboration with regulatory agencies.”
The Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, in a terse statement on Thursday, confirmed the death of 10 individuals.
“Further investigation with the Afriland team, however, revealed that 10 adults, male and female, were confirmed dead afterwards,” the statement read.
PUNCH Metro recalls that the Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, Dare Adekanmbi, in a statement on Wednesday, had identified the affected staff members as Mrs Ekelikhostse George (Assistant Director), Mr David Sunday-Jatto (Assistant Director), Mrs Nkem Onyemelukwe (Senior Manager), and Mr Peter Ifaranmaye (Manager).
In a statement shared with our correspondent on Thursday morning, United Capital confirmed it lost six members of staff to the tragedy. This takes the confirmed number of deaths from the Afriland Towers fire tragedy to 10.
“It is with profound grief that the Management and Staff of United Capital Plc announce the passing of six of our dear colleagues, following the tragic fire at Afriland Towers on Tuesday, September 16, 2025,” the statement partly read.
The fire incident adds to growing concerns over safety standards in Lagos’ high-density commercial centres, where incidents of electrical faults, generator malfunctions, and inverter-related accidents have been cited as recurring risks.
Regulators and property developers have in recent years intensified calls for stricter enforcement of building safety codes, particularly for older high-rise structures in the metropolis.
President Bola Tinubu expressed deep condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in Tuesday’s fire outbreak at the Afriland Building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President also extended sympathy to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, United Bank for Africa, UBA, Plc, and Afriland Properties Limited, all of whom were affected by the tragic incident.
Tinubu described the loss of lives as painful and prayed for the speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical attention.
Also, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday sympathised with families, organisations, and traders who lost loved ones and properties in Tuesday’s fire outbreak at Afriland Towers, a six-storey commercial building on Broad Street, Lagos Island.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu described the incident as “unfortunate and shocking,” noting that it was a huge loss to the state and affected institutions
PUNCH.
