Building Urban Fire Resilience in Sub-Saharan African Cities: Evaluating Institutional and Planning Responses to Fire Disasters in Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria

The rising frequency of urban fire disasters poses critical challenges to resilience and sustainable development in rapidly urbanising regions. This study assesses fire disaster management in Ikeja, Lagos, by examining the operational capacity of fire service agencies and the integration of urban planning regulations in mitigating risks. Grounded in a resilience framework, a mixed-methods approach was applied, drawing on fire incident records, structured questionnaires, and interviews with planning and fire service officials. A total of 105 households from fire-prone districts were surveyed using multi-stage sampling. Quantitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics and mean-score ranking, while qualitative insights were explored through thematic analysis. Findings reveal that 60% of fire outbreaks were linked to candle use and 25.7% to electrical faults, with incidents concentrated in high-density areas such as Opebi, Ogba, and GRA. Despite a reported 10-minute response time, the fire service faces severe operational constraints, including water shortages, poor vehicle maintenance, inadequate safety equipment, and manpower gaps.