Chiemelie Ezeobi
An early morning fire yesterday gutted some floors of Unity Bank headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Although no life was lost, THISDAY gathered that the fire emanated from the bank’s network server, which triggered an electrical surge.
Banking activities were said to be going on when the smoke was detected and sent everyone into panic mode.
The staffers were quickly evacuated and emergency response was activated, a move that helped to limit the extent of the damage.
With the help of the Federal Fire Service, Lagos State Fire Service, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and other responders, the fire was contained, but not before it had burnt the last four top floors of the 10-storey building.
THISDAY gathered that Lagos State Fire Service did the first and second damping to impede the spread of fire through walls, floors and partitions.
Reacting to the incident on their Twitter handle, the bank said: “We regret to inform the public that there was a fire incident on one of the floors of our Head Office building early this morning.
“The cause of the fire incident is yet to be ascertained but the fire service has intervened and has brought the situation under control.
“While the extent of damage is being assessed, we are happy to note that there was no casualty or loss of life as a result of the incident. From current observations, however, the banking hall and other strategic business areas were not affected.
“We are grateful to all the agencies and volunteers that supported in bringing the incident under control. Further developments regarding the incident will
be communicated as it unfolds.”
