Fuel Tanker Explosion Razes 44 Shops, 21 Vehicles in Lagos
• 14 persons injured, six tricycles burnt
A fuel tanker conveying 33,000 litres of petrol yesterday exploded at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, at about 1 am, thereby injuring no fewer than 14 persons, gutting about 21 vehicles and razing 44 shops.
The incident also completely burnt down five buildings and six tricycles, though officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) later responded to the distress call of residents in the neighbourhood.
Based on reports from different rescue teams, the incident did not claim any life, though a good number of shop owners and traders were seriously affected, losing all their goods and means of livelihoods.
Speaking at the scene, the Director of the state fire service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, said the incident occurred at about 1 am, explaining that the tanker driver lost control at Iyana-Ipaja due to what he ascribed to fatigue.
Consequently, the director said the tanker swerved roadside and fell just a few metres away from the middle of the bridge, thus leading to the spill of its content and outbreak of fire that gutted buildings and vehicles within the vicinity.
Fadipe added that the incident did not claim any life because the state fire team responded almost immediately it received the distress calls, noting that there would have been grievous damage if their response was not swift.
The director disclosed that there were other related incidents in Badagry, where the driver of a tanker conveying 33,000 litres of diesel was contesting the road with a tipper, and in Ejigbo where fire razed a building.
The state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday visited the scene of the incident and blamed frequent fuel tanker explosions in the state on carelessness and indiscipline of the truck drivers.
He explained that the agencies “have been able to report that everything has been put under control. We have also recorded two other incidents, just like this one in other parts of Lagos overnight – one in Badagry and another in Ojo”.
He said: “Tanker drivers have to start to do something about their operations. We cannot continue to record loss of lives and properties in the state because our tanker drivers are not disciplined.”
While calling on the tanker drivers to comply with the traffic law, Ambode said the state government will quickly find a way to help those who lost properties and shops.
“The report of the fire incident must be ready in the next 48 hours,” he said, adding, “We will ensure we do something positively to ensure that life can return to normal. We thank God because there was no loss of life.”
A fuel tanker conveying 33,000 litres of petrol yesterday exploded at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, at about 1 am, thereby injuring no fewer than 14 persons, gutting about 21 vehicles and razing 44 shops.
The incident also completely burnt down five buildings and six tricycles, though officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) later responded to the distress call of residents in the neighbourhood.
Based on reports from different rescue teams, the incident did not claim any life, though a good number of shop owners and traders were seriously affected, losing all their goods and means of livelihoods.
Speaking at the scene, the Director of the state fire service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, said the incident occurred at about 1 am, explaining that the tanker driver lost control at Iyana-Ipaja due to what he ascribed to fatigue.
Consequently, the director said the tanker swerved roadside and fell just a few metres away from the middle of the bridge, thus leading to the spill of its content and outbreak of fire that gutted buildings and vehicles within the vicinity.
Fadipe added that the incident did not claim any life because the state fire team responded almost immediately it received the distress calls, noting that there would have been grievous damage if their response was not swift.
The director disclosed that there were other related incidents in Badagry, where the driver of a tanker conveying 33,000 litres of diesel was contesting the road with a tipper, and in Ejigbo where fire razed a building.
The state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday visited the scene of the incident and blamed frequent fuel tanker explosions in the state on carelessness and indiscipline of the truck drivers.
He explained that the agencies “have been able to report that everything has been put under control. We have also recorded two other incidents, just like this one in other parts of Lagos overnight – one in Badagry and another in Ojo”.
He said: “Tanker drivers have to start to do something about their operations. We cannot continue to record loss of lives and properties in the state because our tanker drivers are not disciplined.”
While calling on the tanker drivers to comply with the traffic law, Ambode said the state government will quickly find a way to help those who lost properties and shops.
“The report of the fire incident must be ready in the next 48 hours,” he said, adding, “We will ensure we do something positively to ensure that life can return to normal. We thank God because there was no loss of life.”
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