The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire outbreak at Terminal 2 of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.

This is contrary to initial concerns that prompted an emergency response by the agency on Sunday.

An initial post on the social media handle of FAAN, had alleged that there was a fire incident at the Lagos airport.

The post had said: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to inform the public that a fire incident has occurred at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

“The FAAN Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) is currently responding to the incident and working diligently to contain the situation. There have been no reported casualties or loss of life,” the authority said.

But a statement yesterday by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Henry Agbebire, debunked the earlier post by the agency.

According to Agbebire, the smoke seen within the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.

The statement emphasised that investigations were ongoing to determine what triggered the automatic activation.

FAAN said normal flight operations had resumed at the terminal following the incident.

The statement read in part: “Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated.

“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.”

FAAN assured passengers, airlines and other airport users that safety remained its top priority, stressing that a comprehensive investigation had commenced to establish the exact cause of the incident.

The agency also explained that the temporary congestion experienced at the terminal’s entry screening points was a direct consequence of the precautionary evacuation carried out after the smoke was detected.

According to FAAN, all passengers were safely evacuated from the terminal before being allowed back into the facility after emergency responders declared the area safe.

It said the re-entry process required every passenger and their baggage to undergo fresh security screening, resulting in longer processing times and queues at the terminal.

However, FAAN confirmed that the backlog had been cleared, with passenger movement and access points returning to normal.