MANY were yesterday drenched in tears as they mourned their losses in a massive midnight fire.
There were rows of shops and vehicles consumed by the fire, which occurred after a petrol tanker fell and spilled its content.
The scene of ruination was Iyana-Ipaja in Agbado Oke Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA). No lives were lost in the incident.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode arrived at the scene of the incident around 9:45 am. He commiserated with the victims of the fire and promised that the government will help the owners of the burnt homes and shops within 48 hours.
Ambode said: “It is a sad incident that a tanker fell from the bridge down to this street. All the agencies have been effectively on ground and we have been able to manage and control the consequences of what 33,000 liters of petrol would have done to this neighbourhood. But we thank God there has not been any loss of life but we have victims whose shops have been destroyed.
“We also recorded two other incidents, just like this one in Lagos overnight – one in Badagry and the other one in Ojo area.”
It was drizzling as the governor inspected the scene. He had a word for tanker drivers – they must become responsible and careful.
Ambode said: “It will also mean that we have to start doing something about our tanker drivers. We cannot continue to have losses of properties and lives just because our tanker drivers have become undisciplined. While we are trying to address all that, we will ensure that all those who have lost properties and even lost their shops, we quickly find a way to let them get back to their normal business lives. Immediately I receive the report of this incident, in the next 48 hours, I will ensure that we do something positively, so that life can come back to normal here.”
Everyone agreed that the fire was caused by the spilled petrol from a 33,000 – litre tanker with registration number KJA 238 XN, which fell from the tail of the Iyana Ipaja Bridge onto the new Iyana Ipaja Road, there was confusion about the remote causes of the incident.
According to Lagos State Fire Service officials, there was a distress call around 1:15 am on Tuesday that a petrol tanker had fallen off the bridge. Officials rushed down to the incident met an inferno which had engulfedscene to find four streets engulfed by the fire.
According to Dare John, Chief Fire Superintendent, who was one of the first to beat the scene, said: “We received a call about one hour after the tanker fell. If we had been called earlier, maybe we would have been able to prevent an inferno, but when we arrived here about 10 minutes after the call, we met an inferno already in progress.”
Piecing together the remote cause of the incident from several “eyewitnesses”, two versions of events became prominent. According to Bisi Idowu and whose house was razed, the “touts” are to blame for the fire.
Idowu said: “The tanker had a fault and was parked at Alagba area just before you climb this bridge. I saw the tanker there around 10: pm. At that time, the officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) were there with the truck driver. Then around midnight or some minutes after, when the tanker was fixed, the ‘area boys’ demanded some money from the driver and they were dragging the issue until this incident happened. We were in the house when we heard shouts from the tanker driver that all of us should vacate our houses, that petrol has poured out. We rushed out; we couldn’t take anything from our house. I am naked now with nothing in this world.”
But Idowu Lawal, an engineer who lives on Bakare Jafojo Street, which also bore the brunt of the fire, said the tanker’s brake was faulty and the officials of LASTMA were helping him to stabilise the vehicle when the driver suddenly veered off the bridge into the street, causing the fuel spillage.
When The Nation arrived at the scene around 7: am, houses and shops were still smouldering. It was also observed that the tanker tumbled from the tail end of Iyana Ipaja Bridge, broke the iron barriers and landed on its side. The vehicle also fell on an LT Parker 508 bus owned by Mr Atanda Segun which was parked by the side of the bridge.
The fuel began to spill into the drainage, passing through new Ipaja Road to Oremeji and Oki streets. Some flowed through the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway into Bakare Jafojo street, about two kilometers away from the scene of the crash.
The fire was said to have started from the end of Jafojo Street and in five minutes had reached New Ipaja Road.
Many residents could not recover anything from their homes and shops.
Fatima Aransiola, a Mass Communications student of Moshood Abiola polytechnic Abeokuta said her family lost “everything”. Mutiat Oseni, who sells Islamic material said she lost “millions”. Suraj Onifade, who spoke on behalf of other shop owners, estimated their losses to be about N20 million.
According to Southwest media coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, 23 vehicles and 30 shops were razed. He said 12 injured people were treated and discharged.
The Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Razak Fadipe said six tricycles and some electric poles and cables were destroyed by the fire.
Ayodele Abiodun whose Toyota Matrix was burnt said while he regretted his loss, he was grateful that no lives were lost. “When we heard the alert that fire was burning, we all scampered around. The first thought was my car, but when I got outside and discovered the huge fire, I knew my car was gone. I bought it two years ago, it was painful. I cried but I thank God I am alive.”
We ran out naked and screaming.
Residents of the affected streets said they climbed the fence or carried babies and children through the roof to escape the inferno. On house number 1, Jafojo Street, which was partially burnt, Mrs. Ibe Okpia dragged her four children through the fence ferrying them to safety.
Another resident of the house, Mary Asika, said they rushed out naked into the streets while screaming for help. “We were like mad people. When we rushed out, we met many naked people who were also fleeing the fire, shouting and screaming. It was a terrible night,” she said.
Mrs. Abimbola Adefusi, who lives on Lawal Street, described the fire as intense. “It was intense. We all ran out because we did not know where the fire will get to. Fortunately, it did not affect our street. But when we came out in the night, I saw a lot of people, many of them naked. Some were bleeding and many were crying. Those whose houses were burnt had borrowed clothes to wear. It was very bad,” she said.
Police Commissioner Kayode Aderanti said his men will probe the incident. “We thank God there was no fatality, just some casualty. The role of the police is to investigate the remote and immediate causes of this incident and ensure that we bring to book those who are responsible for this dastardly act,” he said.
Aderemi Desalu, Permanent secretary, Ministry of Special Duties, said: “We thank Lagosians for contacting us on time through our 767 and 112. I want to implore Lagosians to always keep back a bit whenever there is disaster in order for those of us doing the work to do it freely.”
Fadipe advised tanker drivers to “drive at night and the drivers that must drive at night should use the morning and afternoon to rest so there will not be serious fatigue on you to drive at night”.
“The truck that fell at Magbon bus stop along Badagry road was contesting road with a tipper. You can imagine a driver conveying combustible product doing that. So it is very important our drivers are very careful when driving.”
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has begun post emergency operations at the scene. According to Femi Giwa, Head of Operations, the agency would recover the site; know the exact number of casualties with a view to recommending appropriate measures to the government.
