Fuel tanker explodes, destroying vehicles in Lagos

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.

Firefighters are battling a raging inferno at Otto Wharf in Lagos State’s Mile 2 district.

In Lagos, a diesel tanker exploded, destroying several vehicles in the Otto wharf, Mile 2 area of the state.

The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon at a community articulated vehicle motor park, according to reports.

Several vehicles were seen burning in viral video clips obtained by Channels Television on Wednesday as fire officials battled the inferno.

Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the agency activated its response plan after receiving a distress call about the incident.

“When the agency response team arrived on the scene, they discovered a fire outbreak from a fuel tanker and drums.” “The inferno is being fought right now by LRT, LRU FIRE, LAGS FIRE, and FED FIRE,” he said.

All stakeholders, according to Oke-Osanyintolu, were on the ground to prevent the fire from spreading further.

Jubril Gawat, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on New Media, also confirmed the incident.

On Tuesday, he took to Twitter to share images of emergency personnel responding to the situation.

“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is currently fighting an intense fire at an articulated Motor Park, Otto Wharf, Mile 2, Lagos, caused by an explosion and inferno reported at 3:44 p.m.,” he said.

Tanker explosions are not uncommon in the nation’s commercial capital, where trucks carrying fuel are common.

On April 22, a tanker carrying Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, exploded near Alagbado on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, killing a teenage girl.

According to National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) officials who confirmed the incident, the tanker was carrying 45,000 litres of gasoline when it crashed and spilled its contents on the road.

According to NEMA, the Lagos State Fire Service dealt with the raging inferno from the Lagos end, while the Ogun State Fire Service dealt with it from the Ogun side of the road.