TheCable

One person has been confirmed dead in a fire outbreak that gutted a section of the University of Lagos guest house in the early hours of Thursday in Lagos.

The victim was said to be a guest who came for the ongoing 2014/2015 convocation of the institution.

The fire started around 2.00 a.m.

The victim, who accompanied a prominent traditional ruler to the convocation, was said to be lodging in room A12, where he suffocated to death due to impact of the fire.

Ibrahim Farinloye, spokesman for the national emergency management agency (NEMA), confirmed the incident in a text message to the NAN.

Farinloye quoted Suleiman Yakubu, zonal coordinator of NEMA for Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, as saying that four rooms – A12, A13, A14 and A15 – were affected by the fire.

“The deceased will be flown to Maiduguri for burial today,” NEMA said in the message.

Efforts to speak with officials of the university about the incident yielded no result as everyone claimed to be busy with the convocation events and could not talk to the press.

The three-day activities for the 2014/2015 convocation end on Thursday.