Midnight Horror: One Feared Fead, Four Building Razed In Tanker Explosion

Pandemonium broke out, yesterday, in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos State after a tanker carrying 33,000 liters of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS (petrol) fell off the Ojuelegba bridge, spilling its contents and bursting into flames.

One yet to be identified person was feared dead while three others were injured in the accident.

Also, five cars and four buildings were razed. The accident occurred at about 1.30am.
The inferno raged for several hours before the situation was brought under control.

When Sunday Vanguard visited the scene, it was gathered that residents of the affected  houses situated about 400 meters away from the explosion spot, had vacated.

In an interview, Mr. Okon Macaulay, Assistant Controller, Federal Fire Service, narrated how the incident happened. He said: “At 1.30 am, we sighted a  vehicle, towing a tanker carrying fuel on the bridge. Few minutes later, the chain attached to the tanker snapped forcing the tanker to detach.

“We discovered that the entire area was enveloped with the smell of fuel. We moved our truck to the scene immediately to forestall any outbreak of fire, while deploying necessary equipment.   At that time, residents had run away to escape the disaster.

“Then commercial bus drivers under the bridge began to scoop the fuel that flowed from the fallen tanker into the drainages and store them in their vehicles. While this went on, there was an explosion. We had to attack the resultant fire with  foam. Several vehicles were razed by the inferno. The content in the drainage further escalated the spread of the fire.”

Macaulay claimed that a lady died due to the explosion, even as he declined to explain how the death happened.

General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael Akindele, in his own account of the fire, said that the incident occurred at about 2.15 am, while the tanker was ascending the bridge.