More than 500 patients were unhurt after a fire broke out at the Ikeja arm of Eko Hospital, Lagos, on Monday.

The fire which, according to witnesses, began on the third floor engulfed the entire four floors of the hospital.

Eye witnesses said that the fire, which started at about 3 p.m. in aroom at the left wing, was due to an electrical spark from a fridge in
a patient’s room.

The patient, it was gathered, was returning from the bathroom when she noticed her room engulfed in smoke and she quickly drew the attention of the hospital management.

The inferno destroyed hospital beds and other equipment and the management frantically evacuated patients to the Surulere branch of
the hospital.

Angela Ossai, a Matron at the hospital, said no lives were lost in the incident.

“We really moved promptly and quickly evacuated patients in the midst of that thick smoke,” said Mrs. Ossai.

“That is why we were able to save all the patients’ lives. No one was even seriously injured at all because we all mobilized as a team and
did our best,” she added.

A patient, who did not want to be named, expressed her satisfaction with the hospital management’s immediate response, adding that all of them were assured of their safety.

Ade Ayinla, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the hospital, said that all the fire extinguishers in the hospital “were put to use.”

Trucks from the Lagos State Fire Safety Office were also on hand to help bring the fire under control.

Mr. Ayinla, while adding that all patients had been evacuated to Surulere, said that the worth of the properties lost could not be
immediately ascertained.

The   General  Manager  of  Lagos   State  Emergency  and  Management Agency,  Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, who was at the scene of the incident
said “as  soon  as  we  received  the  emergency  phone  call  from the  hospital  we  rushed  down   here   with   10  members  of  our
team.”

He  urged  the  hospital  to  take  greater  security and emergency measures  in  the  future.