Police Station, three houses burnt in tanker explosion on New Year Eve in Lagos
One of the buildings razed as a result of the tanker explosion
Published By: Kazeem Ugbodaga
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
A diesel tanker explosion on New Year’s Eve wreaked havoc at Okokomaiko, Lagos State, destroying part of the Okokomaiko Police Station, three residential buildings, and several shops.
The incident occurred while the tanker, laden with 10,000 litres of diesel, was offloading fuel to a network mast.
Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), disclosed that the emergency response team received distress calls via the toll-free line at 12:38 PM.
LASEMA promptly activated its emergency response plan, deploying teams from the Igando base to the scene.
Upon arrival, responders found the tanker engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading rapidly to nearby structures, including nine offices within the Okokomaiko Police Station, three bungalows, and several containerised shops.
A generator house and kitchen of a nearby hotel, along with PHCN transformer cables, were also damaged in the tanker explosion.
According to Oke-Osanyintolu, despite the extensive damage, no lives were lost, and no injuries were reported.
Firefighters from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, alongside LASEMA, LASTMA, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC), the Nigerian Police Force, and the Nigerian Army, collaborated to contain the blaze.
He said the tanker was destroyed with nine offices at the police station burnt, adding that three bungalows were burnt down, with household items lost.
Oke-Osanyintolu added that one lock-up shop and four containerised shops destroyed, just as a hotel generator house and kitchen were damaged, with several PHCN cables affected in the tanker explosion.
