Lagos Airspace Closed As Fire Rages At Murtala Muhammad International Airport Old Terminal

The Lagos airspace has been temporarily closed to flights following a fire that gutted the old terminal of Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday.

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the blaze continued to rage as firefighters worked tirelessly to bring it under control. Around 10 people were reported trapped on the 6th floor of the airport’s control tower.

As a result of the incident, the Lagos airspace has been shut down, preventing all international flights from landing or taking off.

“Lagos airspace closed; no flights in and out. No flight can land,” an aviation source said on Monday evening.

SaharaReporters first reported the blaze at the facility, which is currently undergoing a multibillion-naira renovation.

An airport official later told SaharaReporters at that the fire was still intense, with approximately 10 people trapped on the 6th floor, where the control tower is located.

At the time of filing this report, SaharaReporters learned that efforts were ongoing to extinguish the fire and rescue those affected.

“There are roughly 10 people trapped at the control tower on the 6th floor and we are making efforts to get them to safety,” a source earlier said.

“I can’t be sure if there are others trapped anywhere else because there is a lot of smoke right now because the fire is still burning.”

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but it is suspected to have resulted from an electrical fault.

“The fire is still burning but firefighters are here and are fighting to quench it. We’re not sure of the cause yet but we suspect electrical fault,” the source said.

The source also revealed that a helicopter was roving around the scene, suspected to be operated by the police.

“The helicopter is roving around but we don’t know what it is doing here. We suspect it may belong to the police but we are not sure. It is just roving around,” the source said.

When asked whether the helicopter was being used to rescue those trapped on the 6th floor, the source said it did not appear to be involved in any such operation.

“We don’t know what it is doing here, honestly. The helicopter is just roving around,” the source said.

Similarly, on September 6, 2023, a fire broke out at the international wing of the airport.

According to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the smoke incident at Terminal 1 was reportedly caused by a suspected electrical spark in the ceiling of the baggage hall.

Investigations revealed that the source of the smoke was a burning lithium inverter battery installed in the basement.(SaharaReporters)