By Jungle-Journalist.Com

LAGOS — Panic swept through Broad Street on Tuesday afternoon as flames engulfed Afriland Tower, forcing terrified workers and visitors to leap from the six-storey high-rise in desperate bids to survive.

The blaze, which officials say broke out around 1:38 p.m. in the basement inverter room, sent thick smoke spiraling through the building, which houses a branch of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and other offices.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, joined by the Federal Fire Service and multiple state fire stations, confirmed that nine people were rescued. “Five have been successfully revived, while efforts are ongoing to resuscitate four others,” a fire official said.

Eyewitness videos showed firefighters rushing ladders to windows, pulling people to safety, while others jumped from upper floors into the street below as the inferno raged. Witnesses described “pandemonium” as alarms blared and smoke blanketed nearby buildings.

UBA clarified that the fire struck its Broad Street branch inside Afriland Tower, and not its head office at UBA House, Marina. The bank assured the public that staff and customers were safe and that emergency protocols were activated.

By evening, the fire had been contained, but joint federal and state emergency teams remained at the scene conducting structural integrity checks and probing the cause of the disaster.

Authorities have cordoned off the area, urging residents and businesses to stay away until investigations are completed.