Fire damages FIRS office in Abuja, no casualties reported

A fire incident occurred on Saturday morning at an office of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in Abuja, damaging parts of the building but causing no loss of life.

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The tax authority disclosed this in a notice it posted on X, signed by its management.

The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the FIRS office located at No. 15 Sokode Crescent, Wuse Zone 5. The agency said the fire was quickly detected and initially handled by security personnel on duty before firefighters from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Fire Service and other emergency responders arrived at the scene.

FIRS stated that the prompt response helped contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the building. While no injuries or fatalities were recorded, several offices on the affected floor sustained damage.

“We are grateful to report that no lives were lost in the incident. However, a number of offices on the affected floor sustained damage,” it said.

FIRS said investigations had commenced to determine the exact cause of the fire, with early assessments pointing to a possible electrical fault.
The management of the revenue agency said it was reviewing and strengthening internal safety measures to reduce the risk of a similar incident in the future.

Fire outbreaks linked to electrical faults are not uncommon in public and private buildings in Nigeria, often raising concerns about ageing infrastructure and compliance with safety standards, especially in high-use office complexes.

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The incident comes months after a deadly fire incident occured at Afriland Towers on Broad Street, Lagos Island, where four FIRS staff members lost their lives in September. The affected officers were working at FIRS offices located on the sixth and seventh floors of the commercial building.

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At the time, the company said investigations were ongoing but preliminary findings linked the incident to the inverter room.

FIRS said the victims included two assistant directors, a senior manager and a manager, noting that the service was one of several tenants occupying the building.

The fire later claimed more lives, with United Capital Plc confirming that six of its employees, who worked on the third and fourth floors of the building, also died in the incident, bringing the total death toll to 10.