Fire razes 21 vehicles and 50 shops as petrol tanker falls off bridge in Lagos

No fewer than 21 vehicles and 50 stalls were razed on Tuesday morning following a spillage from a petrol tanker which fell off the Iyana-Ipaja Bridge in Lagos.

The tanker fell off the bridge at 1.30 a.m., spilling its product into the drainage within some streets in Abule-Oki community of Alimosho Local Government Area.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the areas affected were Ipaja Road, where the tanker landed, Oremeji Street, Jafajo Street, Oki Street, Adebajo Street and some parts of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

Mr Razak Fadipe, the Director of Lagos State Fire Service, said he received a call about the incident at 1.35 a.m. and dispatched two fire fighting trucks to the scene.
Fadipe said: "On arrival there, we discovered that three streets were directly involved in the inferno. So we began active firefighting operations with the assistance of the public and was able to bring the situation under control.

"With the inspection carried out after the fire-fighting operation, we discovered that electrical cables and poles were involved. Three houses, 21 different vehicles and six tricycles popularly called `Keke Marwa’ were consumed by the fire as well as the tanker itself."
Fadipe appealed to the owners of articulated vehicles conveying combustible products to ensure that they employed reasonable and responsible drivers to avert such occurrences in future.

Mr Kehinde Adebayo, the spokesman for the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), told NAN that no life was lost in the inferno.

He said 14 persons were treated for minor injuries and were later discharged by the staff members of the Lagos State Ambulance Service.

An eye witness, Mr Segun Atanda, said he was driving his commercial bus when the tanker fell off the bridge and landed on Ipaja Road.
"We ran out from the bus because we saw fuel coming out and a few minutes later, there was a huge explosion and everywhere was ignited with fire from the explosion," he said.
Also, a security operative, Mr Kabiru Adeyombo, said he was carrying out patrol on Jafojo Street at 1.30 a.m. when he suddenly discovered that fuel was flowing inside the gutter.
Adeyomo said: "I started calling people out from their houses to come out and see fuel inside gutter. Just as I was doing that, the transformer sparked and it caught fire. The fire entered the gutter and started burning the vehicles parked in the street."
Mr Kasali Adegoke, the Chairman of Jafojo Street Residents Association, alleged that 17 cars were burnt beyond repair despite the efforts made by residents to quench the fire.

Adegoke, therefore, appealed to the government to assist those who lost their property to the fire outbreak.  



Credit: Nigerian Tribune

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