A gas tanker caught fire and exploded around 10:04 pm at Agbado Road, Toyin Bus-Stop, Iju Ishaga, Lagos State on Tuesday.
The fire, which affected a few properties around the scene is currently being controlled by emergency services.
In a tweet confirming its presence at the scene of the fire, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service noted that it is currently attending to the fire explosion.
The post on X partly read, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently attending a to a fire explosion at Agbado Road, Toyin B/S, Iju Ishaga.
“The fire which was reported at 22:04hrs Tuesday as a result of a gas tanker that accidentally caught fire and accompanied with explosion has been confined to the tanker and adjoining row of shops it spread to as concerted efforts are ongoing to forestall further spread to protect the environment and property including the nearby filling station.”
An eyewitness confirmed to our correspondent that firefighters from the Agege Fire Station, Ikeja Fire Station, Alausa Fire Station and Bolade Fire Station are currently on the ground at the scene of the incident to forestall possible spread.
A yet-to-be-ascertained number of shops with goods were destroyed in the Tuesday late-night fire.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, confirmed this to PUNCH Online in a WhatsApp conversation on Tuesday.
According to Adeseye, the impact of the fire left some shops destroyed while the operatives of the state fire service were able to curtail its spread.
She said, “The fire which was reported at 22:04hrs Tuesday as a result of a gas tanker that accidentally caught fire and accompanied by an explosion, has been confined to the tanker and the adjoining row of shops it spread to as concerted efforts are ongoing to forestall further spread to protect the environment and property including the nearby Kerozone Petroleum Filling Station.”
Reacting, the Lagos State Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Authority, Ibrahim Farinloye, further disclosed that the tanker had a collision with an electric pole while trying to enter the premises of where it was to offload its content leading to a cable snapping that resulted to the explosion.
He disclosed further that the intervention of the emergency responders including the Lagos State Fire Services and NEMA brought the fire under control without casualties.
Farinloye said, “There was a fire incident. It started when a tanker that was about to offload its content in a filling station along the road collided with an electric pole. The impact of the collision led to a cable falling on the container and therefore resulted in a spark.
“Emergency responders were able to contain the spread of the fire to avoid casualties. No lives were lost but some shops were destroyed.”
