There was pandemonium at Mile 2, in the Otto Wharf area of Lagos State, on Tuesday, when a diesel tanker exploded and destroyed several vehicles.
The fire broke out at about 3:44pm.
Video clips shared online showed several vehicles burning as men of the state fire service battled the inferno while residents scampered for safety.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed in a statement that the agency activated its response plan after receiving a distress call to the incident.
He said, “Upon arrival at the scene by the agency’s response team, a fire incident from a fuel tanker and drums was encountered. LRT, LRU, alongside Lagos Fire and Federal Fire are currently battling the inferno to contain it.”
Oke-Osanyintolu stated that all stakeholders were on ground to stop the fire from spreading further.
The Deputy Head of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Ogabi Olajide, in a statement, said the disaster was avoidable.
He said, “Preliminary investigation reveals that the avoidable disaster stemmed from welding works on the diesel tanker resulting in an explosion. The fire involved quite a number of tankers, peddler trucks, and various sizes of storage tanks and drums, all stocked with diesel.
“The public is hereby assured that the situation is under control as the spread of the fire has been stopped and poses no further threat.”
Olajide noted that there were no casualties.
