91 Die, ₦19.52bn Lost in 2024 Lagos Fire Incidents
Ninety-one people have died and property worth ₦19.52bn has been destroyed in Lagos State so far this year due to fire incidents, officials revealed at a safety conference on Tuesday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, speaking at the Lagos International Fire Safety Conference 2.0 in Victoria Island, reaffirmed his administration’s plan to curb fire disasters by combining advanced technology with community participation.
“This conference has become a united front in our shared mission to protect lives, property, and the very heartbeat of the economy of our state from the devastating impact of fire,” Sanwo-Olu said in his keynote address.
The governor disclosed that in 2023, the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service attended to more than 2,500 emergency calls. “Each call was more than a statistic; they were lives interrupted, businesses disrupted, dreams endangered,” he said.
He noted that fire incidents have declined sharply since the inaugural safety conference in June 2024, crediting the drop to a “collective approach” that integrates innovation with public involvement.
“This proves something powerful: when we unite knowledge, technology, and community willpower, we save lives,” he added.
Sanwo-Olu highlighted tools now in use, such as drones, smoke-penetrating cameras, early-warning systems, and real-time data sharing. “These tools help us save time, and when fighting fire, every second counts,” he said. He also stressed the need for public education: “Even the best technology cannot be everywhere at once. That is why our strongest weapon is still a well-informed and alert community.”
According to Lagos Fire and Rescue Service Director Margaret Adeseye, property saved in 2024 is valued at ₦117.12bn. She reported that 450 people were rescued alive, while 91 were confirmed dead.
The number of recorded incidents fell from 2,573 in 2023 to 1,952 this year.
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