Polaris Bank, Lagos Government Dismiss Reports of 34 Deaths in Broad Street Fire

Polaris Bank and the Lagos State Government have dismissed reports claiming that more than 34 people died in a fire incident that occurred on Thursday at the bank’s Broad Street premises in Lagos Island.

The bank described the reports as false and misleading, assuring customers, staff and the general public that no lives were lost in the incident.

In a statement issued hours after the fire outbreak, Polaris Bank clarified that the incident did not occur within its head office operations area as widely speculated. The bank explained that the fire originated from a customer’s vehicle parked on the third-floor car park of the building.

According to the statement, emergency response procedures were immediately activated after the fire was detected, leading to a swift response from firefighters and other emergency personnel who successfully contained the blaze before it could spread.

“We are pleased to confirm that there were no casualties or fatalities. Consequently, reports circulating on social media claiming that over 34 persons were feared dead are false and entirely inaccurate,” the bank stated.

Polaris Bank added that investigations were ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire. It also commended emergency responders, employees, customers and stakeholders for their cooperation and support during the incident.

The clarification came as the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service provided additional details regarding the outbreak.

The Controller-General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed that the fire had been completely extinguished without any loss of life.

According to Adeseye, the agency received a distress call at approximately 11:33 a.m. concerning a fire involving a stationary saloon car parked on the third floor of the 17-storey Polaris Bank building located on Broad Street, Lagos Island.

She explained that firefighters from the Ebute Elefun and Sari Iganmu Fire Stations were immediately deployed to the scene and successfully prevented the fire from spreading to other vehicles and sections of the building.

The fire service boss noted that the prompt response and coordinated efforts of emergency personnel played a crucial role in containing the incident.

Authorities have urged members of the public to disregard unverified reports circulating online and await official findings from ongoing investigations into the cause of the fire.