25 February 2013, LAGOS — Seven petrol tankers, weekend, got burnt at Waterside area of Kirikiri Town, Lagos, where tank farms are sited, while unspecified number of persons sustained injuries in the inferno.
Also burnt was the container office of the tanker drivers in the area. The inferno threw residents of the area into confusion, as they feared that the fire might get to their homes.
It was gathered that the fire started at 10 p.m. when an oil tanker loaded with 33 thousand litres of petrol caught fire and exploded.
Several shops on Mosheshe Street and Cardoso Close were also gutted by the fire.
Eyewitnesses said the driver of the oil tanker had parked his truck, loaded from one of the oil depots operating in the area, in front of Techno Oil Truck Park on Mosheshe Street, before siphoning its contents into some jerry cans and drums.
It was gathered that flames from a cooking fire close to the roadside ignited petrol spilled on the ground and same spread to the truck.
The fire, which quickly spread to other parts of the area, housing oil storage facilities belonging to five major oil companies, forced the residents to flee their homes.
Residents of a residential estate situated few metres away from the oil tank farms and others from adjoining streets, evacuated their homes in anticipation of the fire spreading.
A resident, Shola Afolabi, who spoke with Vanguard, said: “I was in my house watching a movie, when I heard the sound of sirens.
I thought the sound was from the movie, but when it continued, I stopped the movie and rushed out my apartment and saw a massive fire surging toward our estate. I panicked and asked members of my family to evacuate the building.
“My neighbours joined me and when we got outside, we discovered that other residents of the estate were trying to flee their homes as well. But the fire was at the gate, so we had to climb the fence. We ran to the bridge and waited before the fire was put out by the fire service.”
