Worshippers and members of Christ Embassy, also known as Love World International, are sharing their experiences following a mysterious fire that destroyed the administrative block and main auditorium of the church headquarters in Oregun, Lagos State.
The fire started around 7 a.m. and was extinguished by 3:10 p.m., leaving the ground floor in ruins. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, though some reports suggest a power surge from electrical appliances might be to blame.
Church members who were preparing for the Sunday service had to evacuate quickly.
Chinonso, a church member, said, “I thank God that nobody was in the church when the incident started. We were informed about the incident at another branch of the church at Toyin Street, Ikeja during the service. We saw the building of our headquarters on fire on social media. We cried but yet give thanks to God that nobody died or was injured.”
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Another member, Jude, noted that the church has trained fire personnel and a water hydrant system to handle such emergencies.
However, the fire was still devastating. Onyinyechi Elizabeth, another member, believed the fire was not ordinary but a spiritual attack, saying, “It is an enemy at work. Why has it not happened all this while? It is to cause a setback. This is a great loss.”
Chibuke Chukwu, another member, described the fire as terrible but expressed gratitude that no lives were lost. He added, “Pastor Chris is right now at Asese in a programme and all other senior pastors are with him.”
Passerby and member of the Household of God, Henry Egbuna, shared his experience: “When I saw the fire in the morning, I thought it was a tyre that was burning. Surprisingly, I saw firefighters who came to the scene of the incident. But some people from the church prevented them from gaining entrance to the church. They then went through another entrance with a ladder to gain entrance to the church.”
Reverend Chris Oyakhilome, the President of Love World International, reassured his members, saying, “We built that with what we know, imagine what we are going to do with what we know now. When things like this happen do not be moved. When something like this happens, God gives us an opportunity to build a better one and a more beautiful one.”
The General Manager of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed there were no casualties and praised the community’s cooperation in controlling the fire.
“When the emergency responders came on board, we were able to curtail the fire and we tried our best to address the secondary challenges such as structural defects and evacuations. Interestingly, there have been no casualties or injuries despite the massive fire, and efforts are being made to completely extinguish it,” he said.
LASEMA deployed an excavator to demolish parts of the building to ensure the fire was fully extinguished and to prevent further structural collapse.
The Lagos State Government has launched an investigation into the fire.
Director of Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, assured the public, “This is to tell Lagosians to be calm. The fire at Christ Embassy’s Church, Headquarters, Alausa, Ikeja, was later put out. As of the time of this report, no record of life lost. We are on ground ensuring the safety of lives and property. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin. No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
Worshippers, despite their ordeal, remain hopeful and resilient as investigations continue to determine the cause of the fire that has deeply affected their community.