An early Sunday morning fire destroyed the main auditorium of a Christ Embassy Church branch in Ikeja, Lagos.

President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated better known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has reacted to the fire incident at one of the church’s branches in Lagos.

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The main auditorium of the Christ Embassy Lagos Virtual Zone CELVZ located on Billings Way in the Oregun area of Ikeja, Lagos went up in flames on Sunday, June 23, 2024, causing panic among members and residents of the area.

A member of the church who spoke to Pulse on the condition of anonymity said the fire started early in the morning as congregants were beginning to arrive for service.

Initially, they had thought it was something they could contain but later called the Alausa Fire Service station for assistance after it became serious.

Videos from the incident on social media showed smoke billowing from the top of the sprawling white-painted edifice as men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) struggled to put it out.

Eventually, the firefighters were able to bring the situation under control but not until after millions worth of properties in the affected auditorium had been destroyed by the inferno.

Pastor Chris says a better church will be built
Reacting to the incident during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State, Pastor Chris said the fire outbreak was an avenue for bigger and better things.

The famous televangelist recalled how he thought there would be a need to rebuild the same building after the 2001 Ikeja Cantonment bomb explosion, saying the fire incident has now provided an opportunity to erect a more magnificent edifice at the location.

“Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse. I thought to myself that if it collapsed I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.

“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound,” he said.