In a dramatic incident at the Mobil Filling Station near the Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos State, at least nine people were injured and multiple vehicles were burned following a gas explosion and subsequent fire. The explosion, which occurred around 10:49 a.m. on Thursday, caused significant panic among residents and business owners.

An attendant at the scene, who chose to remain anonymous, described the chaotic scene: “I was attending to a customer when I heard a loud explosion. Before I knew it, the vehicles parked near the gas truck were engulfed in flames.”

Witnesses reported that the fire spread rapidly, consuming around nine vehicles parked on the premises. Tunde, an eyewitness, noted that the blaze spread so quickly that many people could not escape their vehicles in time. “The firefighters arrived too late to prevent the damage,” he added.

Fruit seller Adamu, who was nearby during the explosion, confirmed that the fire started as a gas tanker was discharging its contents into an above-ground storage tank. He reported seeing multiple people being transported to the hospital.

The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Maintenance Agency, Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed that the explosion resulted from damage to the pipe of an eight-ton LPG gas cylinder. This damage caused a rapid gas leak that ignited and caused the fire. Oke-Osanyintolu stated that two men suffered severe burns, while seven others sustained minor injuries. Approximately ten vehicles, including commercial and private ones, were damaged, and parts of a nearby two-storey building were affected.

Emergency services, including the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the agency’s pre-hospital care team, promptly attended to the injured. All were transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) for further treatment.

The fire was eventually brought under control, and the affected site is now cordoned off for safety. Two LPG cylinders, weighing 12 tons and eight tons respectively, have been secured to prevent further incidents.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the explosion was linked to the gas truck discharging its content, which led to the inferno affecting eight vehicles and parts of a building.

This incident follows a similar gas explosion in late April in the Ajegunle-Apapa area, which injured nine people. The cause of that explosion was also a gas leak igniting a high-tension cable.