Residents, workers and business owners near the Redemption Camp at Mowe Bus Stop, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, were on Monday, thrown into a panic during a fire incident that injured two persons, and burnt three trucks at a gas plant in the area.
PUNCH Metro gathered that some trucks visited the gas plant owned by the Suncontractors Project Services Limited to deliver gas around 9am.
It was learnt that one of the trucks was making an attempt to offload gas when the truck driver rammed into another truck.
In the process, the battery and the engine compartment of one of the trucks sparked and exploded.
The fire that emanated from the explosion reportedly razed the two trucks and another truck that was parked on the premises of the plant.
A commercial motorcyclist, Sunday Akande, told one of our correspondents that the explosion caused tension in the community.
Akande said, “I was at Mowe bus stop when I heard the loud bang. Everyone started running without knowing the source of the sound. It was some of my colleagues who were coming from the other lane inward Lagos that informed us that the fire was burning at the gas plant.
“So we drove there and saw that the plant was seriously burning. It was not quite long that the fire fighters arrived and started battling the fire. If not for them, the gas plant would have completely got burnt and possibly extend to other areas.”
A security guard at the plant, who sustained minor burns during the explosion, when asked to narrate how the explosion happened, said he was not authorised to speak on the incident.
Addressing the press, the Administration Manager of the plant, Marvels Chinedu, said there were four workers on the premises when the explosion occurred.
“I panicked and ran. There were about four of us on the premises. I can’t remember much but I told one of us to rush to the fire station. We did a little fire training and the first thing we were advised to do when such happened is to leave the premises,” he said.
The team leader, Redeemed Christian Church God’s fire service, Adebayo Olayemi, said no one died as a result in the incident.
He said, “They called to deploy us in the scene and we swift into action. One good thing about the fire services was that we synergised our operations to curtail the fire and there was no fatality at all.”
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyitolu, said officials of the agency responded swiftly following a directive from the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu
Oke-Osanyitolu said, “We were informed that there was a spark from the battery at the plant and the engine compartment cut fire and spread to the cylinders where about four truck cylinders got burnt.
“Our response was efficient enough to curtail the spread of the fire and put it out. There was no mortality or morbidity despite the magnitude of the incident.”
Also reacting, the Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said, “We got a call around 11.22am from the governor’s office about the fire incident and we immediately mobilised our men in conjunction with LASEMA and LASEMBUS to the scene.
“The fire was intense with an explosion, however, our well-trained team was able to combat the fire and put it out with no casualties.”
The Commissioner for Special Duties, Ogun State, Olufemi Ilori, while inspecting the scene of the incident, appreciated efforts of the emergency responders, and ordered a lock down of the gas plant.
However, the Public Relations Officer, Federal Fire Service, Ogun State, Oluwasegun Ayansiji, said the two people who sustained injuries during the incident had been taken to hospital for treatment, adding that the explosion occurred outside the RCCG Camp.
He said, “A tanker loaded with gas wanted to offload its product inside the company. As it was trying to reverse to park well to offload, it had a collision with some empty tankers and this resulted in the explosion.
“As at this moment everything is calm and under control. Three empty gas tankers that were parked were burnt in the compound. The explosion happened right inside the compound of the company.”
