The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has disclosed the cause of today’s (Thursday) fire accident that happened at Mobil Filling Station, Awolowo Road, near Ikeja Airpirt Hotel.
The incident occurred at 10:49 am, thereby causing panic and destruction of properties.
The fire involved a gas truck at the filling station, prompting an immediate response from the Alausa and Ikeja Fire Stations.
Giving update on the fire accident and its cause, Margaret Adeseye, Director of the fire agency said, upon arrival of the fire crews, they discovered that a gas truck was discharging its content into a surface storage tank when it ignited.
“The blaze quickly spread, engulfing a total of eight vehicles, including the tanker itself, and affecting parts of the uppermost floor of a nearby two-storey building,” she added.
Other agencies present at the scene to assist in managing the situation include the Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps, Mobil Fire Unit from Apapa, Lagos State Building Control Agency, and the Nigeria Police Force.
While several persons sustained injuries in the accident have been moved to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for treatment, the number of injuries could not be ascertained yet.
The fire agency added that “this is still being determined, and updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
It noted that “as of the latest update, the process of dampening down is ongoing . The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is committed to safety and well-being of all residents and urges the Public to exercise caution around flammable materials and follow safety guidelines at all times.”
Recalled that in June 2024, BusinessDay reported that the Headquarters of the Christ Embassy Church, Oregun, Ikeja, was engulfed in fire.
Chris Oyakhilome, General Head of the church while reacting to the fire incident, said the church will build a bigger edifice in no time.
“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.
