The tanker explosion, which occurred at about 12:05 a.m., left scores of residents disorganised and devastated in Idimu, Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and completely tore the entire community apart.
Consequently, the incident razed down 34 houses and 70 shops unlike the Iyana - Ipaja incident that utterly gutted five houses, 44 shops, 21 vehicles of different makes and six tricycles to the ashes. A similar tanker fire had occurred on Tuesday at Iyana-Ipaja area of the state which left several shops and vehicles destroyed.
Also, the Asaba Motor Park, located along Onitsha-Enugu road, was the scene of a petrol tanker accident where 69 people were burnt to death and 50 persons sustained injuries on May 31.
However, the Anambra Government has expressed its intention to shut down the Asaba Motor Park at Upper Iweka and turn it to what it called a garden park.
However, the damage could have been graver than the loss already incurred, although officials of Lagos State Fire Services, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) saved the situation.THISDAY learnt that the incident occurred when two tanker drivers were competing on the Idimu-Ikotun road, noting that one of the tankers was laden with premium motor spirit, otherwise known as petrol, while the other tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of diesel.
An eyewitness, Mr. Charles Ebohodaghe said disaster struck when one of the rather careless tanker drivers lost control at a sharp bend in Idimu, thereby forcing the diesel-laden 33,000 litre truck “to swerve to the other side of the road.
“I saw the incident from a nearby three-storey house where I have been residing since 1985. Twin explosions were heard, first was when the tanker capsized some minutes before 12 am and when the spilled content caught fire from a nearby Suya spot some minutes later.
“The explosion was caused by some deranged tanker drivers, suspected to be young drivers. Apparently in a chase, they were driving recklessly on the narrow path with their trucks fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and diesel.”
He said the contents of the tanker, suspected “to be diesel, was emptying into the drainage and some good Samaritans began to raise alarm on the raging fire. It was one of the most dangerous moments I have seen since I have been living here.”
Another resident, Mr. Hakeem Salaudeen, said the inferno could be felt from a far distance as alarms rang calling on all residents to wake up, commending officials of the Lagos State Fire Service and concerned youths, for timely response that prevented the fire from engulfing an MRS filling state on the Idimu-Ejigbo road.
He acknowledged that before 1 a.m., the fire service operatives “were already at the scene and they worked till 6 a.m. Even the youths were fetching water just to pour on the fire as it continued to spread with the diesel that continued to flow in the gutter.”
In an interview with journalists, the Director of Lagos Fire Service, Mr. Rasak Fadipe, said the fire service “received the distress call by 12:08am and we responded promptly. The effort we put in has saved the MRS fuel station from being engulfed by fire and we have as well saved several buildings here.
“I want to thank the communities that supported us and other emergency responders. But this fire has consumed a lot of fire-fighting materials that could have been used to put out about 15 to 20 fire outbreaks. Something has to be done to this type of incidents,” Fadipe explained.
The state governor, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode paid a visit to the scene of the tanker explosion, noting that it “is another unfortunate incident happening within one week; unfortunate in the sense that we are beginning to lose a lot of our assets and property to fire.”
He said he had been briefed that there were two tanker drivers actually competing on the road as at midnight including a commercial bus driver, noting that one of the drivers lost control at the bend and it was 33,000 litres of premium motor spirit.
He said the contents “flowed as far as five streets. We have lost close to 34 houses, 70 shops. We do not want this to repeat itself again. We have said it before, we need to address our tanker drivers and start to enforce our traffic laws.
“I have directed that the union of tanker drivers we would meet on Monday morning and we must make pronouncement relating to the usage of our roads. I commiserate with all the people here. I appeal for calm. We will do immediate relief; we will take enumeration and see in what ways we can address your pain. We will do everything in our power to do everything to help them get back to their normal lives,” the governor added.
-Thisday