Mansard Insurance building gutted by fire

A building belonging to Mansard Insurance Plc was on Tuesday gutted by fire in Lagos.

The building, which is located on Aboyede Cole on the Victoria Island, was said to have been gutted by fire around 11am after a petrol tanker exploded near the building.

It was gathered that the explosion led to the inferno. The tanker was said to have supplied diesel to a filling station near the building.

Some concerned Nigerians, while commenting on the incident through various social media platforms mistook the building for the corporate head office of the insurance company, but a newspaper correspondent was able to speak with a customer care representative on the phone, who said while the building belonged to the company, it was not its head office.

The customer care representative, who declined to give his name said, “The building belongs to the company, but it is not its head office”.

When asked for the cause of the fire, he said, “I cannot say anything about that for now, your call was routed to the Surulere call centre. I am not on the Island so I cannot comment on the fire incident.”

Confirming the incident, the Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razak Fadipe, said firefighters got a distress call and arrived at the scene within five minutes of receiving the call.

According to him, no life was lost and his men were able to contain the fire and prevent it from causing further damage and spreading to other buildings.

“We received a distress call at 11.45am and we arrived there at 11.50am. We have been able to successfully curtail the fire from posing further threats or spreading to other buildings. Our men are still on ground to monitor the fire as it gradually dies down,” he said.

Credits: Punchng.com