11 injured, nine vehicles burnt as fire guts Ikeja filling station

Some commuters, businesses, and fuel attendants may not forget yesterday in a hurry following a fire at a Mobil fuel station along Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ikeja, Lagos.

Eleven persons were injured, while nine vehicles got burnt in the fire incident.

The Guardian learnt that the fire destroyed a gas tanker, a Toyota Hiace bus, two commercial minibuses, a Sienna car, a Honda Accord, a Volkswagen, a Gulf car, a Toyota Corolla, and a Citroen car.

It also affected an adjoining two-storey building, the Mobile Mart building, two pumping machines and a vulcaniser’s pumping machine.

Director of Operations, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Olatunde Akinsanya, said the agency got the incident report at about 10:00 a.m.

“We got calls about a gas explosion at the Mobile filling station, and LASEMA, alongside the Lagos State Rescue and Fire Rescue Service (LSFRS), and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) deployed machinery and engaged the fire in a tactical manner.

“We were able to subdue the fire and prevent it from spreading to the Airport Hotel and others. We put out the fire within 45 minutes. “We rescued 11 victims. One of them suffered about 90 per cent burns and was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and will be further transferred to the Gbagada Burn Unit,” he said.

The incident happened when the filling station was dispensing fuel and gas simultaneously.

Advising filling station owners, Akinsanya said there is a need to reduce risks around petrol stations when loading gas and that the management of filling stations should stop selling fuel whenever gas is being discharged.

Also, LASEMA asked people living in the affected adjoining building to move out until after an integrity test has been concluded.

One of the Mobil station officers revealed that an eight-ton LPG gas cylinder truck became damaged while gas was being dispensed to customers. The gas escaped rapidly before bursting into flames.

Reacting to the incident, 11Plc (pronounced Double One Plc), formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc, revealed in a statement that the station has been temporarily closed.

The company said it is cooperating fully with relevant government agencies to ascertain the cause of the fire.

It said: “At 11Plc, safety is not just a priority; it’s a core value. We are dedicated to ensuring the well-being of our employees, customers and the general public. Our management team is working diligently to address this situation and ensure a swift and comprehensive resolution, reinforcing our commitment to safety.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said the fire had nothing to do with the compressed natural gas station recently unveiled by the NNPC Gas Marketing Limited and (NIPCO).

A statement by the NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, added: “The NNPC Ltd also wishes to add that the NGML was not affected by the explosion; it is not involved in the activities of the affected station, and all NGML facilities in Lagos, including pipelines, metering stations, above-ground installation and CNG facilities are in safe operating condition.”