By Cross Stone
A fuel station located along Old Akute Road in the Obawole area of Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, Lagos, was engulfed by fire on Wednesday, prompting panic among residents and motorists.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed the incident, which caused significant alarm in the area.
According to Jubril Gawat, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service responded swiftly to the scene.
Reacting to a Twitter user who tagged him about the incident, Gawat stated, “Our people are on ground. It seems the fire started from a building behind the filling station.”
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire broke out around 4:00 p.m. following a sudden explosion, drawing the attention of passers-by and residents near K Farms Estate.
The blaze was said to have started from the underground fuel tanks before spreading rapidly across the station.
Emergency responders, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, arrived promptly and cordoned off the area to prevent further chaos and ensure effective rescue operations.
The service’s spokesperson, Shakiru Amodu, confirmed that the inferno was quickly curtailed, preventing it from spreading to adjoining properties.
By 6:00 p.m., the fire was under control, with emergency officials maintaining a security perimeter around the site.
In a separate incident, a fire broke out in Victoria Island, Lagos, where a building opposite Silverbird Galleria on Amodu Bello Way was affected.
Amodu reported that the Victoria Island fire was first reported at 5:22 p.m., and emergency teams arrived 22 minutes later. He attributed the delay to heavy traffic in the area.
“The team from Oniru was immediately deployed to the location to prevent the spread to adjoining buildings. The situation is now under control,” he said.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in either incident.
