FAAN closes airspace over fire outbreak at Lagos Airport

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has temporarily shut down the airspace at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos following a fire incident at Terminal 1 of the facility.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), which provided an update on the incident affecting Terminal 1 and the Control Tower.

In the statement seen by Dockaysworld, FAAN said emergency response operations were still ongoing, with coordinated firefighting, rescue and safety teams working to contain the situation and prevent further damage.

According to the authority, a crane was deployed to aid rescue efforts at the Control Tower, while all 14 persons initially trapped in the facility were successfully evacuated.

Six casualties including three males and three females were recorded, but all were reported to be in stable condition. One of the affected individuals was transferred to the FAAN Headquarters Hospital for further medical evaluation and remains stable.

They further revealed that as a precautionary measure, the sixth floor of the affected building had been fully evacuated to support emergency operations and reduce risks.

Preliminary findings by the Fire Service indicated that the fire started in the server room on the first floor of Terminal 1.

FAAN said the blaze in the departure hall has been largely brought under control, while monitoring continues to ensure it does not spread to other sections of the terminal.

The agency added that the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency is working to set up a temporary Control Tower to facilitate the safe and timely restoration of flight operations.

FAAN assured that further verified updates would be communicated as more information becomes available.