MMIA fire: 14 trapped persons rescued, building to undergo integrity check — FAAN

2026-02-24 - 01:25

By Olasukanmi Akoni & Dickson Omobola Following the fire at the Old Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos yesterday, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, has disclosed that the 14 persons initially trapped were successfully rescued. But Lagos Fire Service which took part in putting out the fire, said 12 air traffic control personnel were rescued alive. FAAN also said six casualties, including three males and three females, were in stable condition, while one affected individual had been transferred to its hospital for further medical evaluation. Eyewitnesses said at about 3:20 pm, smoke was seen rising from the terminal, leading many people around the area to run for safety. FAAN Fire Service, in partnership with Lagos State Fire Service, battled to put out the fire, Controller-General, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, who confirmed the fire, said there was no loss of life. She said: “The fire at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos is under control as all 12 personnel of the control tower have been successfully rescued alive without any form of injuries leaving no one trapped in the incident.” Addressing newsmen at the airport after the incident, the Managing Director of FAAN, Mrs Olubunmi Kuku, said investigations into the cause of the fire had commenced, while civil and structural engineers would assess the integrity of the building. Kuku said although British Airways, Lufthansa, and Emirates flights, scheduled to land at the airport were diverted, flight operations would resume shortly. Her words: “We did have about three flights that were diverted. However, the operations will be back up and running in the next half an hour. In terms of investigations, they are ongoing. “We have civil and structural engineers whose role is to make sure that once the fire has been contained, we bring in all the necessary professionals to test the integrity of the structure to determine what the next steps are.”