Many people were feared injured in an explosion that occurred in a filling station located in Lagere, Ile-Ife, Osun State on Tuesday.
People around Lagere, Mayfair, and Iremo Road who spoke with The PUNCH, said they heard a loud noise at about 5 pm within the premises of a filling station in Lagere, leading to panic across the town.
A trader inside the Lagere Shopping complex located a few metres from the filling station where the explosion occured, identified as Titilola, told our correspondent that after the explosion was heard, the antecedent fire spread to nearby property and destroyed them.
She feared many people may have been trapped in the fire, adding that men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps from Ile-Ife, and Osun State Fire Service responded to the distress call.
She added, “I was inside my shop located within Lagere Shopping Complex around 5pm today (Tuesday) when I heard a loud explosion inside a filling station that is opposite a commercial bank here. People ran in different directions.
“But when we eventually discovered the direction where the noise came from, we were told the explosion came from a gas plant located inside the filling station. NSCDC and Fire Service men responded to the distress call. Many people may have been injured but I can’t say immediately. The fire was huge.”
When contacted, Osun NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Kehinde Adeleke, who confirmed the incident further said, “A filling station located opposite a commercial bank in Lagere, Ile-Ife housing a gas station with a mini-mart caught fire at about 1702hours today Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
“Operatives of NSCDC Ife Central Division that swiftly arrived at the scene revealed that a gas cylinder installed inside the filling station exploded and in the process injured many people and destroyed property close to the filling station.
“The men of Osun State Fire Service were called and they battled to restrict the fire with the support of NSCDC operatives and public-spirited residents.”
