Update on Ile Epo/Ekoro road pipe line fires: 5 dead, 11 buildings, 17 shops, 39 vehicles destroyed

According to LASEMA Public Affairs Officer, Nosa Okunbor, the DG/CEO LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke–Osanyintolu who enjoined residents of the area and thr public to remain calm, asked them to report suspicious activities to curtail the instances of these unfortunate incidents.

 “In line with Mr Governor’s greater Lagos agenda, the government will do its part, while the citizens need to do their own part”.

While confirming that there were five fatalities made up of 3 adult males, 1 adult female and a female child aged 5, he stated that 20 people were treated for minor injuries by LASAMBUS and discharged immediately at the incident scene, while 150 people, including children were displaced due to destruction of their dwelling places by the raging inferno.

Going further, the LASEMA boss listed buildings razed by the fire categorized according to house numbers, streets, and structure, as including one located at no. 18 Musa Erimo street (a storey building), four located at nos. 1 (Bungalow), 2 (Bungalow), 7 (a storey building) and 20 (a bungalow) on Joel Nnadede street.

Others included three buildings located at nos. 2 (2 storey building), 4 (bungalow), and 8 (bungalow) on Hamed Sodiq street; three at nos. 45 (Bungalow),  47 (bungalow) and 49 (Bungalow) on NNPC Power Line Road; as well as, 17 attached shops, and 39 vehicles listed to include 33 trucks, 3 cars and 3 tricycles (Keke Marwa).

While giving the update on Monday 20th January, 2020, Dr. Oke-Osayintolu said: “We can confirm that after several hours of intense fire fighting by the combined teams of Lagos Fire Service and other emergency response agencies, the fire at the incident site was successfully put out”.

In his analysis of the fire incident, Dr. Oke–Osanyintolu explained further that “we were informed of the incident by 8.30pm, by 9pm we had curtailed it and by 11.30pm we had put it out completely, having contained the area as at 11.30pm”. He then pledged that “we will continue to keep members of the public abreast with updates on issues as they unfold”.

Moreover, after the fire was extinguished, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police who also visited the incident scene promised that the culprits whom residents of the area insisted lived “outside” Ekoro, will be brought to book though, the NSCDC in charge of securing the pipelines denied allegations that the resultant fire was due to acts of vandalism by those siphoning petroleum products.

In a related development, another fire incident occurred at NEPA Road, Alaba Rago, opposite LASU where a fully loaded tanker truck with an unknown registration fell on it’s sides spilling Automated Gas Oil, AGO, which made the DG/CEO LASEMA, Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osayintolu to again call for understanding of the public and their cooperation.

Said he in his call on the tanker truck fresh oil spill. “We appeal to members of the public to remain calm, observe and follow the directives of LASTMA and other security agencies on ground as they carry out their duties to ensure the fire is extinguished quickly with no harm to people, property, nor the environment”.

Reports have it that upon arrival of the LASEMA Response Team at the incident scene, it was observed that a tanker conveying  approximately 33,000  litres of diesel had fallen to its side and spilling its contents, while it’s immobility was also constituting a blockade to free flow of traffic in that axis, inwards Lagos.

The LRT, men of the Lagos State Fire Services and relevant stakeholders were deployed and carried out suppression activities to mitigate/curtail the spread of the fire during the Rescue/Recovery operations, as well as the LASEMA Rescue Unit Fire Truck.

This combined effort  of the agency’s officials, men of Lagos State Fire Services, other emergency responders, plus efforts of the RRS culminated to the successful put out of the fire.