A fire has swept through part of Lagos’s Computer Village, destroying goods estimated to be worth millions of naira and injuring at least one firefighter, emergency officials say.
The blaze broke out at a one-storey commercial building housing dealers in computers and accessories in the early hours of the morning.
In a preliminary statement, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it received a distress call on its emergency lines at about 01:55 local time. Emergency responders arrived at the scene shortly after 02:15 to find the building already engulfed in flames.
LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said firefighting operations were immediately launched to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures in the densely packed market.
“One firefighter sustained minor injuries during the operation and was treated at the scene,” he said, adding that no fatalities had been recorded.
The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that several shops were affected, with large quantities of computers, phones and accessories destroyed before the fire was brought under control.
Police officers were also deployed to secure the area and manage crowd control, according to the Lagos State Police Command, which said investigations were under way to determine the cause of the fire.
Traders at Computer Village, one of West Africa’s largest technology hubs, said the losses would have a significant impact on small businesses already struggling with rising costs.
“I lost most of my stock,” one shop owner told local media. “Everything happened so fast.”
Authorities have urged business owners to comply with fire safety regulations and ensure proper electrical installations, noting that preliminary assessments suggest the fire may have been linked to an electrical fault.
Emergency officials said recovery and damage assessment efforts were continuing.
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