By Christopher Oji
Shop owners at Toyin Bus Stop, Iju-ishaga, Lagos, are still counting their losses after the Tuesday night gas explosion that burnt down their businesses.
The explosion which occurred at about 10 pm Tuesday,created panic as residents of the area scuttled to safety.One person was seriously injured by the fire incident,but he is still battling for survival in a nearby hospital which has referred him to a government owned hospital.
Over I5 shops were razed down by the fire outbreak.
It was gathered that a truck loaded with gas was offloading some gas contents at a cooking gas store and one of the cylinders which had some leakages exploded. The inferno spread from the cooking gas store to other shops on the line while a cylinder exploded and flew to the other side, causing serious fire that engulfed other shops.
As at the time of filing this report, emergency responders were still putting out the fire in one of the shops and controlling both human and vehicular traffic in the area.
Madam Elizabeth, whose cream shop was completely razed,told our Correspondent that she lost over N13 million worth of cream and other equipment,” I mix cream and sell it for people. The least amount of cream that I sell is N5,000. I have cream of N25,000, N50,000 and above. The worst is that I just stuck my market. I lost over N13 million.I had closed the shop, locked up my shop and I was hoping for today ( Valentine’s day),to hook up with my customers, who said they would come early today. My brother, see what has befallen me and my other colleagues? This is just the beginning of the year. it is too early to start a year with such a tragedy”.
Another shop owner, who lost close to N50 milion, Mr Daniel Eze, said he sells electrical materials, “ I am finished. Who will bail me out? When I heard that fire was burning our shops. I didn’t envisage that it would touch mine, because my shop is on the other side of the road. I just rushed down to sympathise with my colleagues, but when I arrived at the scene,I saw the unimaginable. My shop was completely razed. I could not remove a pin from my shop. I am calling on the Government to come to our rescue because some of us will go back home or become beggars on the street”.
Mr Samuel Afolabi, a resident,thanked the management of Kerosene Filling station, who did their best to douse the fire before emergency responders arrived:” We thought that the fire started from the filling Station. The management unleashed their staff and fire extinguishers on the fire. If not for the management of the filing station, the fire would have caused more damage; the fire would have engulfed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,which stands in between the shops and the filling station”
Michael Ndubuisi, told our Correspondent that,” we thought it was war. I live opposite the gas shop where the fire outbreak started, but I was already in my room preparing to go to bed when I started hearing the sound of explosives.
The cacophony of the sound persisted before till the whole place was engulfed by fire . I ran out of my house;as I was running I saw other people running too. The road was full of confusion. I was able to figure out what really happened. It took a moment before I realized that it was not battle or bomb explosion ,but gas explosion,so i started making contacts to some of my friends, who would help to call emergency responders.Infact, much as i fell for those whose shops were destroyed, I am very happy that the fire did not escalate to residential buildings. This because it would have caused serious problem because we have buildings with over 100 residents in them . I also blame the landlord,who rented that gas shop to the owner of the gas store. I equally blame those who rented shops near the gas store. I want to appeal to the government to make laws that will stop people from selling gas in residential areas “.
Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr.Ibrahim Farinloye,who confirmed the incident, however, urged people around Iju -Ishaga to calm down and avoid panic,as Fire Service has brought the situation under control completely.
“It was reported that a store with a cooking gas cylinder exploded. It occurred at the restoration of electricity to the area.Fire Service have brought the situation under control completely,” he said.
As at the time of filing this report, there was still mammoth crowd on the road. They came to see the damage done by the explosion.
The gathering has caused serious human and vehicular traffic.
The Police; other sister security agencies, and paramilitary agencies, were on the ground.
A senior police officer told our Correspondent that if not for the intervention of the police and other sister agencies, hoodlums would have cashed in on the chaotic situation to loot other shops,” even while the fire was still raging, scavengers had started picking everything on sight. We have to chase them away”.