Three bodies were recovered and eight people rescued after a fire gutted the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on the evening of Wednesday, December 24, 2025.

The disaster also wiped out goods worth billions of naira, leaving importers and Instagram vendors devastated.

The Guardian learnt that the victims recovered from the rubble included an adult woman found dead and handed over to her husband, a decapitated adult man with severed limbs, and another adult man whose body was intact.

Eight men, including a firefighter, were rescued with varying degrees of injuries and taken to hospital. Five others—three men and two women—who sustained minor injuries were treated at the scene and discharged.

The fire was later contained through the combined efforts of emergency responders. Although the inferno spread to a nearby mosque, Oluwole Plaza and other adjoining buildings were largely salvaged, while efforts continued to ensure the blaze was fully extinguished. The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said the fire started at about 5:00 p.m. and continued into Thursday despite the early deployment of crews. It began on the fifth floor and quickly escalated, spreading to at least five adjoining structures, including the old Lagos Central Mosque, before it was brought under control on Christmas Day.

The Controller-General of the service, Margaret Adeseye, said crews were deployed from Ebute Elefun and Dolphin fire stations, with reinforcement from Sari Iganmu, Bolade and Isolo stations, as well as the Alausa headquarters.

Explaining the delay in containing the blaze, the service cited poor storage practices, highly combustible materials and the conjoined nature of surrounding buildings. It said the affected floor was largely used as warehouse storage and a sales outlet for clothing materials, alongside offices and retail shops.

Reacting to the incident, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, expressed sympathy with the victims and commended emergency responders.

Sanwo-Olu, who visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, noted that the scale of the loss could not be fully captured in reports.

He said the state government will continue to assess the situation and “provide support to those who have been impacted.”

Meanwhile, several importers and Instagram vendors have been left devastated following the fire, with traders reporting losses running into millions and, in some cases, billions of naira.

The building, which served largely as a warehouse for clothing materials alongside corporate offices, housed goods belonging to numerous small businesses preparing for the festive and New Year sales season.

As news of the inferno spread, social media platforms were flooded with emotional testimonies from affected vendors.

An importer identified on Instagram as Monchericloset_empire described the property as “majorly a warehouse”, saying importers had lost goods worth billions of naira.”

“To be an importer is not easy. I am not even crying for myself only. I am crying for everybody that has goods in that Great Nigeria House. Imagine billions of naira,” she said.

Another vendor, _houseofemmy, said illness prevented her from clearing newly arrived goods before the fire. She lamented months of relentless work wiped out in a single day, adding that she had planned to offload the goods only after recovering.

Similarly, Bussie_closeet said she delayed clearing her consignments until December 29, only for the warehouse to be “burnt to ashes”, while Tifefashionstores confirmed that both personal and pre-order goods were destroyed, urging customers to be patient as shipping companies were still compiling details.

In a separate post, a TikTok user, Bimzee Collections, said she lost two shops to the fire, describing the incident as a crushing personal setback after years of struggle.

Some vendors said they were able to salvage small portions of their goods, but many confirmed total losses. About 36 containers were reportedly stored in the affected building.

In an official notice circulated to customers, shipping firm Wait and Carry Cargo said it would not issue refunds, citing force majeure. The company said the fire destroyed its offices, warehouses and stored goods, adding that it was still assessing the full extent of the damage. A similar notice from Express Cargo also circulated online.

For many traders, the inferno has turned what should have been a profitable season into one of uncertainty, grief and appeals for support.