A fire outbreak on First Avenue in the FESTAC area of Lagos State has razed shops in the area, and about 26 vehicles and 4 motorcycles were also destroyed. The fire incident reportedly broke out at about 12pm around the FESTAC link bridge as the tanker driver attempted to mount the sloppy bridge.
Multiple accounts revealed that there was no casuality and the tanker driver in the eye of the storm was not in sight as he had evaded the scene for the fear of being mobbed. The inferno however threw the area into pandemonium with residents and other business operators scampering for safety.
The first respondents at the scene of the accident blamed the Local Government authorities over the inability to site an Emergency Service Agency around the opulent FESTAC Area. A witness, Mr. Olufemi Popoola, said the tanker, coming from Apple Junction and going to FESTAC Town, was ascending the bridge when it suddenly rolled back and fell. The impact of the fall separated the tank from the truck’s body, resulting in an explosion. “Some residents and passers-by attacked the fire with buckets of water to no avail. The fire then spilled into a car shop on the foot of the bridge, burning some of the cars, while the attendants quickly drove out some. Furniture items, bags and boxes displayed for sale on the foot of the bridge were all burnt.”
Photo Credit: Getty
