By Albert Akpor        & Ifeanyi Okolie
LAGOS—PROPERTY which monetary value could not be immediately ascertained, was yesterday lost to fire that gutted the City Mall, in Lagos Island. No life was lost.

The cause of the inferno which reports say started at about 4.15p.m. was not immediately known, but a source at the scene of the incident blamed it on a faulty electrical apparatus.  The source said the fire started after a  thick smoke was noticed billowing from the topmost floor that housed the office of a popular TV talk show, Moments with Mo.

According to the source, the smoke was first noticed from an electrical junction box that ran through theTV talk show anchor,  Modupe Abudu’s office and soon resulted in  a serious inferno.  It was also gathered that a church called Elevation Church of Christ had earlier in the day booked a hall for service on the same floor but was turned down by management of the City Mall prior to the fire incident.

Circuit cameras and other sophisticated accessaories were burnt down.

Vanguard was told that immediately the smoke was noticed, both the state and the federal fire services were contacted and they raced to the scene.

Speaking on the incident, the Facility Manager of City Mall, Mr. Emmanuel Efuntayo, said but for the timely arrival of fire fighters, more harm would have been done to the edifice.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, said he was yet to get full details of the cause of the inferno, maintaining also that there was no report of any loss of life.