PUNCH
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency has hinted at the possibility of demolishing the Christ Embassy building located on Billings Way, Oregun, in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, which was gutted by fire in the early hours of Sunday, if it fails an integrity test.
This is just as the President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Rev Chris Oyakhilome, said it would rebuild a better and bigger structure to replace the affected building.
LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, gave the hint while fielding questions from journalists at the scene of the fire incident on Sunday.
Our correspondent who visited the scene of the incident gathered that the fire started at about 7:30 am but the quick intervention of emergency responders prevented it from escalating to adjoining buildings.
PUNCH Metro also observed that some parts of the building were pulled down by an excavator so that sections that were engulfed in fire could be accessed.
Speaking on the incident, Oke-Osanyintolu disclosed that the intensity of the fire had caused cracks in the wall of the building, which therefore required that an integrity test be conducted on the building.
In his words, “We have seen a lot of structural defects; there are cracks on the walls, and we are carrying out evacuation so that the place will be safe.