Several shops and goods were destroyed following a gas explosion that occurred at a market at the Council bus stop, Ikotun area of Lagos State, on Saturday.
The Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, Margaret Adeseye, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, adding that no casualties were recorded in the incident which she noted was caused by negligence during the refilling of a gas cylinder.
She said, “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service responded to a fire call today at 14:10 hours, when a fire erupted in a market at the second junction, Governor’s Road council bus stop, Ikotun, Lagos.
“The incident was triggered by a gas cylinder leakage and subsequent explosion within one of the shops, rapidly spreading to neighboring shops numbering seven, necessitating an immediate emergency response.
“Multiple agencies swiftly responded to the emergency, including Ejigbo and Isolo fire stations of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, working in collaboration with Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and the Nigerian Police Force from Ikotun Division, all actively engaged in managing the situation.
“Preliminary investigations point to negligence during the refilling of a gas cylinder as the probable cause of the incident. Fortunately, there are no reported casualties.”
Video footage uploaded by the LSFRS Facebook page and sighted by our correspondent on Saturday evening showed that the fire had been extinguished leaving behind charred remains of razed shops and other destroyed materials in the market.
Some firefighters could also be seen spraying water on the burnt metals and iron roofing sheets to put out pockets of flame emanating from the burnt items. (Punch)