Seven rescued as fire guts section of WAEC HQ in Lagos

A section of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) headquarters in the Jibowu area of Lagos state has been razed by fire.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said on Wednesday that the fire incident was caused by a “power surge” on the third floor of the building.

The agency said seven female staff were trapped on the fifth and seventh floors — but were eventually evacuated.

“Upon arrival at the aforementioned location, a section of the WAEC HQ multi-storey building was found to be on fire,” LASEMA said in an update on the situation.

“Further investigations revealed that the fire started on the 3rd floor of the 12-storey building due to a power surge.

“A total of seven female staff of the Corporation were trapped on the 5th and 7th floors and were safely evacuated due to the swift response of the Rescue team on the ground. The fire has also been put off and dampening down concluded.

“The combined efforts of the Agency’s team alongside the Agency’s Paramedics, LASG FIRE, FED FIRE, UNILAG FIRE, LASAMBUS, and LASTMA are on the ground to ensure a swift recovery.”

The agency added that the recovery operation is still ongoing.