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 resident 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.
It was gathered that a truck loaded with gas had come to offload content at cooking gas store and one of the cylinder exploded.
The inferno spread from the cooking gas store at Toyin bus stop, Iju-Ishaga , Lagos, to other shops on the line while a cylinder exploded and flew to the other side of the road and fire engulfed other shops.
As at the time of filing this report, emergency responders where still putting out the fire in one of the shops and controlling but human and vehicular traffic in the area.
Madam Elizabeth who has a cream shop told our Correspondent that she lost over N13 million worth of cream, ” I mix cream and sell for people. The list cream that I sell is N5,000. I have the cream of N25,000. I have the one of M50,000 The worst is that I just stalk my market. I lost over N13 million.I had closed from 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 million, Mr Daniel Eze, said he sells electrical materials, ” i am finished. Who will bail me out. What I heard that fire was burning our shops. I didn’t envisage that it would touch mine, because my shop is in the other side of the road. I just rushed down to sympathise with my colleagues but when I arrived the scene,I saw the unimaginable. My shop was completely razed down. 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 Kerosone filling station who did their best to douse the fire before responders, ‘ We thought that the fire started from the filling Station. The management unleashed their staff and fire extinguishers on the fire. If not for him, the fire would have caused more damages. if not for the filling a station, the fire would have engulfed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,which stands 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 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 parasites explosion, I ran out of my house and I was running when I saw other people running too. The road was full of confusion. It was after some while that I was able to figure out what really happened ,it was not battle or bomb explosion ,but gas explosion,so i started making contacts to some of my friends who would help to calm emergency responders. In fact, much as I fell for those whose shops were destroyed, I am very happy that the fire did not escalate to residential buildings, it would caused serious problem because we have buildings with over 100 residents.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 a gas store. I want to appeal to the government to make laws that will stop shop from selling gas in residential areas ” Territorial Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), 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 cooking gas cylinder exploded. It occurred 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 who came to see the damage done by the explosion.
The gathering has caused serious human and vehicular traffic.
The police and other sister security agencies, and paramilitary agencies were on the ground.
A senior police officer told our Correspondent that it 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 has started picking everything on sight. We have to chase them away.”