A fire outbreak at a tank farm in Apapa, Lagos State, early Friday morning, has sparked a dispute between the Lagos Fire Service and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over the incident’s location.
A video of the fire surfaced on social media, prompting immediate responses from both entities. The Lagos State Fire Service claimed the blaze occurred at an NNPCL depot. However, NNPCL quickly refuted this, stating the fire originated from a pipeline at Honeywell Oil and Gas (HOGL).
Amodu Shakiru, Director of Public Affairs of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, confirmed the incident during a telephone interview, saying, “Yes, we just received a call from that area, and the call came in at 11:27 am.
“The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is attending to a fire outbreak at the new NNPC Terminal, formerly OVH, Kayode Street, Marine Beach, Apapa. The fire resulted from a spillage of petroleum products within the perimeter of the tank farm.”
Margaret Adeseye, Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Fire Service, assured the public that coordinated efforts with various emergency responders in the oil and gas sector were underway to manage the situation. “The public is hereby assured that the emergency operations are under control and are preventing further escalation,” Adeseye stated.
Contradicting the Fire Service’s account, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye insisted the fire did not occur at an NNPCL facility. “It is not at the NNPC, but at HOGL. The fire is at a pipeline at HOGL. The fire has since been extinguished. It’s at the Honeywell depot but it has now been extinguished. Not NNPC,” Soneye conveyed in messages to our correspondent, labeling the Fire Service’s report as “false.”
The disagreement highlights the need for clear communication and coordination between agencies during emergency responses, especially in critical areas such as petroleum storage and handling.