ExxonMobil’s retail outlet along the Awolowo Road, opposite Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, went up in flames on Thursday, leaving two people critically injured and six vehicles burnt.
A segment of a nearby building was also destroyed.
The fire incident was caused by the explosion of a 12-tonne gas truck at the filling station.
Emergency responders said that the gas truck exploded at about 11 a.m.
Though no casualties were recorded, two adult males are said to have been severely burnt and rushed to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for treatment.
A statement by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, said others who sustained minor injuries were promptly rescued and given immediate medical attention by the agency’s pre-hospital care team in collaboration with LASAMBUS.
“In response to distress calls received by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, through the 767/112 Toll-Free Emergency lines at 1108hrs, the agency activated its Tiger Response Team from the Command and Control Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Upon arrival of the Tiger Team at the incident scene, it was observed that the Mobil filling station at the location above was engulfed in flames.
“On further investigations conducted at the incident scene, the fire was attributed to the explosion of a 12-tonne gas truck, registration number unknown, which impacted several cars within the filling station and portions of a nearby building,” the statement read in part.
It added that the agency’s response team and personnel from the Lagos State Fire Service and Rescue team, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) and the Nigeria Police were deployed to the scene to prevent the fire from escalating.
“The fire is under control, as it was quickly contained by the agency’s LRT and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service to prevent it from escalating to the surroundings,” it stated.
The cause of the explosion is under investigation, according to LASEMA.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com