Odd Inferno!   

The multi-million naira Ultima Studios in Lagos goes up in flames

•The fire raging furiously.

On Sunday 21 August, the ultra-modern studios used for the recording of two popular television shows –– Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and MTN Project Fame West Africa –– were ravaged by a mysterious fire that broke out at around 8:30pm. Nothing could be salvaged from the studios, owned by Ultima Ltd and located inside the palatial Murhi International House, at Omole junction, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking with TheNEWS at the scene of the inferno, Olumide Akinlabi, Head, Corporate Affairs Department, Ultima Limited, said the fire started from the Project Fame wing.

“We had successfully finished the day’s production as we had a block recording of the game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I was on my way home when one of the beneficiaries of our shows called me that our office was burning and I told him that I had just left the place less than 20 minutes earlier. So I had to drive back and on getting here, the deed was done as everything had been ravaged,” Akinlabi explained.

According to him, what started as a little ball soon escalated into huge flames that rendered extinguishers ineffective.

“When some crew members noticed a thick smoke coming from the other wing –– Project Fame studio –– staff and contestants who were housed in the Project Fame Academy were promptly evacuated. While there were no injuries or lives lost, both studios were badly hit and invaluable equipment lost to the inferno,” he said.

Although Lagos State Fire Services and other ancillary safety agencies raced to the scene, they could not contain the blaze. “They tried their best. Though they responded on time, we could say that they weren’t as pro-active as expected. It seems the fire people that came earlier were having challenges of water. Maybe if the other trucks had arrived on time the damage would have been minimal,” Akinlabi said.

While the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, it reportedly destroyed production equipment worth over N1 billion.

“This is a monumental disaster. We can’t even begin to comprehend the personal, emotional and material loss. But in all, we thank God that lives were not lost,” said Kola Oyeyemi, General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN, the title sponsor of the two popular shows, when he visited the razed studios.

“MTN is committed to enriching lives through our different services, properties and initiatives and we are already discussing with our partners at Ultima on how to make sure this tragedy does not distract us,” he added.

Despite the fire that ravaged its studios, the production company is determined to take the incident in its stride as it has commenced full production of the two shows. “Although, the incident is catastrophic and the loss shattering, we’re grateful to God that no lives were lost. The contestants are safe and we are confident that the show will go on, and in no time at all we will be back on air,” Femi Ayeni, CEO, Ultima Limited said in a statement.

—Funsho Arogundade

Tags:  MTN Project Fame West Africa, Murhi International House, Ultima Studios