By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
A fire outbreak in the early hours of Tuesday, 20 January, 2026 gutted a one-storey commercial building housing computer dealers and accessories merchants on Somoye Osundairo Street in Computer Village, Ikeja, destroying goods worth millions of naira and throwing the popular technology hub into confusion.
The fire, which was reported at about 1:55 a.m., broke out while most shops were closed, allowing it to spread rapidly through the building before help arrived.
Officials said the inferno was fuelled by large quantities of electronic equipment and accessories stored inside the structure.
In response to the distress call, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency activated its emergency protocols from its command and control centre in Alausa.
By about 2:15 a.m. operatives of the Lagos Response Team were on ground and met an intense scene of active flames and thick smoke rising from the building.
The Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the fire quickly engulfed the upper floor, completely razing it before firefighters were able to contain the situation. He, however, confirmed that no lives were lost in the incident.
According to him, one firefighter from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze and was immediately attended to by personnel of the Lagos State Ambulance Service.
Oke-Osanyintolu explained that the operation involved a coordinated, multi-agency response led by LASEMA, with support from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, LASAMBUS and the Nigeria Police Force.
He added that responders cordoned off the area, carried out a risk assessment and implemented safety measures to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
He further noted that after the fire was brought under control, emergency teams commenced damping-down operations to eliminate any possibility of re-ignition, while rescue and recovery efforts were subsequently concluded.
Meanwhile, the cause of the fire remains unknown. Oke-Osanyintolu said a detailed investigation has been recommended, alongside an immediate structural assessment of the building due to partial damage to its integrity.
The incident has once again drawn attention to the recurring fire outbreaks in Lagos’ commercial districts, particularly in densely packed markets like Computer Village, where poor safety standards and the storage of highly combustible materials continue to pose serious risks.
