No fewer than 15 persons have been severely injured after a gas cylinder exploded at Ijora Badia, Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area of Lagos, Sunday.
At the time of writing this report, doctors were still attending to the victims who sustained varying degrees of burns. Among them were children between nine and 12 years.
Eyewitnesses said the inferno occurred at about 4:10 pm in a mini shop on number 12, Amosu Street, after a 25kg gas cylinder, which had a leakage due to mishandling of products, attracted a nearby flame, resulting in an explosion.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, who confirmed the incident, said, “It was a fire involving a 25kg gas cylinder in a mini shop, one of five similar shops within a bungalow building consisting of 15 room self-contain apartments and seven shops.
” Fifteen people, both adults and children, male and female, suffered varying degrees of burn injuries. Some of the victims received first aid, while others were taken to the hospital. However, none of the cases are life-threatening”
She added that the resultant fire had been extinguished,” the remains of the gas cylinders evacuated, and danger completely averted, restoring normalcy”.
She also stated that the response team included “the Sari Iganmu Fire Station of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, complemented by LASEMA, LNSC, and LASAMBUS”