Pandemonium erupted wednesday at the Ijegun area of Satellite Town, Lagos State, after one of the tank farms in the area exploded, snowballing into an inferno.
The fire, which started as an explosion, sent the residents scampering for safety, as they first thought it was a bomb explosion.
Although five tank farms are located inside Stallionaire Oil Depot, emergency responders succeeded in containing the fire to only the affected tank which contained petrol.
The emergency responders included the Lagos State Fire Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal Fire Service, Nigeria Navy Fire Service, service, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Julius Berger Plc and other oil company fire tenders.
The quick response did not only save the lives of residents of the area, it also salvage the other four tank depots containing diesel and kerosene.
Confirming the incident, the General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Adesina Tiamiyu, said they were alerted through the emergency toll free line 112/767.
He said: “Consequently, the agency
activated its emergency response plan with all the relevant stakeholders.
“On getting to the aforementioned address, it was discovered that the facility which is a fuel depot comprising a five tank farm, of which one of the tanks filled with petrol exploded and resulted in big inferno.
“However, adequate and prompt response by the emergency responders were on ground to curtaile the inferno to only the petrol tank while others (diesel and kerosene) tanks were salvaged from the inferno.
“Proper investigation would be conducted on the incident, but there is need for owners and managers of oil and gas companies to always ensure that proper emergency response plan is put in place in these kind of facilities.”
