Scores of residents of Edibe Edibe Street in Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria, have been injured following an explosion at Fonex Gas Station, which also destroyed properties, including vehicles, fuel tanks, and nearby shops.
Injured persons were rushed to nearby hospitals.
The explosion, which occurred around 10 a.m. on Saturday, completely razed the gas and petrol station.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the station is located in a densely populated area, forcing residents and business owners to flee to safety.
The chaotic situation caused by the incident provided an opportunity for hoodlums to loot goods from affected shops and the damaged facility.
Many residents were seen attempting to contain the fire using sand, water, and other improvised methods, as emergency responders had yet to arrive at the scene.
An eyewitness, Mrs. Christiana Uti, told NAN that calls to the fire service by some persons at the scene did not yield immediate results, as they reportedly responded that their fire trucks were not functional.
She added that a fire truck from the University of Calabar later arrived, but only after the affected facilities had been severely damaged.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Eitokpah Sunday, confirmed that officers had been deployed to the scene.
The State Commanding Officer of the Federal Fire Service, Mrs. Olumayowa Olomola, attributed the inability of her office to respond to the gas station fire to a faulty fire truck.
Olomola explained that the federal fire truck was recently vandalised by hoodlums in Calabar during an operation.
According to her, not only was the truck vandalised, but some fire officers were also injured during the incident.
“The state government is fully aware of this and had promised to fix the truck and treat the injured officers.
“But as we speak, we have made several follow-ups, and they are yet to respond.”
Director of the State Fire Service, Mr. Emmanuel Ajom, said his fire trucks were under maintenance and could not respond to the gas fire incident.
He explained that the trucks were procured about 14 years ago and are currently undergoing routine maintenance.
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