103-Year-old Woman Dies as Fire Guts Lagos Building
103-Year-old Woman Dies as Fire Guts Lagos Building
A devastating fire at a residential property on Bola Street in Oyingbo, Lagos, has claimed the life of a 103-year-old woman.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) was alerted to the crisis around noon on Friday, January 16, 2026, and immediately mobilized to the scene.
Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, explained that the blaze originated in a single room of a bungalow before quickly moving through the rest of the house and its connected storefronts.
Although emergency teams arrived within minutes, they discovered that the elderly centenarian had already passed away by the time they could reach her.
The fire resulted in extensive property damage, gutting eight rooms, a mini-apartment, and six individual shops. A vast amount of personal belongings and household goods were destroyed as the flames swept through both the living quarters and the business units.
Coordinated efforts between the LASEMA Fire Unit and other emergency services eventually brought the fire under control, stopping it from reaching adjacent properties. Once the area was cooled and the fire fully put out, the victim’s body was retrieved and released to her family members for burial arrangements.
While the emergency operations have wrapped up, investigators are still working to determine what sparked the initial flame. This tragedy follows recent data from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, which highlighted a high volume of emergency responses and fire-related fatalities over the past year.
