According to report, the tanker content spilled leading to an inferno which engulfed the area.
Eyewitnesses told PUNCH correspondent that before the unmarked tanker fell, some of its content had spilled on the road. They added that the driver who is now at large couldn’t control the vehicle before it later fell on the road.
Newsmen observed at the scene of the incident how some youths assisted in putting out the fire upon the arrival of fire-fighters from the state Fire Service. The explosion destroyed 10 residential houses, two churches and eight shops.
According to Sunday PUNCH report, residents and business owners in the area in tears as their belongings went up in flames.
The Lagos Territorial Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye, in a statement earlier on the incident, said that the tanker fell and spilled its contents and exploded around 7am in the area. He added that no life was lost and no one sustained injury, noting that about 10 buildings were destroyed in the incident.
“The situation was mitigated with most of the content spilling into the canal close to the scene, thereby saving the community from serious incidents that could have affected people. The fire has been put out.”
It was gathered that items such as phones, documents, freezers, a generator, tyres, food items among others were lost to the incident.
Some of the affected victims spoke to our correspondent in tears.
The manager of a hotel affected in the area, Peter Friday, said that the incident came as a shock to the entire community, adding that he was busy with sales when the incident occurred and he quickly moved their guests to a safer place outside the hotel.
“I sat inside the bar when the incident happened. I saw flames of fire from where I was and I quickly rushed out to call our guests inside the room for them to move out before the fire could penetrate. Four rooms, the main bar, and many things as you can see were affected. We have broken ceilings, mattresses, 50 pieces of burnt chairs, a generator, one reservoir and many other things that got destroyed.
“I want the government to look into this and help us with the structures and losses. I think the incident was caused by the bad road. I feel bad because if the road had been fixed, this incident would have been averted. But we thank God that our guests are in a safe place now.’’
A trader, Dupe Afeni, who was distraught, told our correspondent that she just stocked her shop two days before the incident.