Pandemonium broke out along the busy Ikorodu road expressway, at Jibowu Yaba area of Lagos State on Wednesday when a 15-ton tanker loaded with substances suspected to be chemical hit a BRT pole, somersaulted and went up in flames.

•IKORODU FIRE Photo: Sun News Publishing

More Stories on This Section advertisement

The fire produced by the explosion gutted at least six houses, 21 vehicles and other items whose value was estimated at millions of naira. But no life was lost.

The confusion led to traffic gridlock for over six hours on the major highway and other adjoining roads in the area.

Funke Adedokun, who resides at 4, Ojelade street, said nothing was salvaged from the house, as the inferno consumed three of her husband’s cars, including a Kia Jeep with registration number DD 777 JJJ, Mercedes Benz V-Boot car, AG 585 LSR and a 504 station wagon marked BC 964 AAA.

“When we heard fire! Fire!!, we could not come out. But all of us were able to escape through the fence,” she said almost in tears.

A transport company, Ground Air Travel, lost three vehicles – two Ram buses worth N4 million each and a Mercedes Benz car belonging to the transport manager, Obiora Njaka.

Emmanuel Ajare, a driver, whose new Toyota Hiace mini-bus, marked XA 886 AGD was burnt, narrated that he was sleeping in the vehicle when he heard the explosion.

An eyewitness, Paul Edima, a taxi driver, who gave a graphic account on how the inferno happened, said: “We were loading in the park when suddenly I saw this tanker veering off the road. We stated running for our dear lives. I ran and ran as my legs could carry me. Suddenly I heard a loud bang and smoke engulfed everywhere.”

Edima said that several people were wounded while trying to escape from the wild tongue of the rapacious fire.

The driver of the ill-fated tanker was said to have escaped death by the whiskers from angry mob which wanted to lynch him.

“People chased after him, but he succeeded in escaping from the angry mob,” Edima told Daily Sun.

A police officer, who was at the scene of the incident, confirmed to Daily Sun that the force has declared a manhunt for the fleeing tanker driver, “at least to know what actually happened and to know where he loaded and to ascertain the content he was carrying.”

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Frank Mba, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said 21 vehicles were burnt while six buildings, all storey building, were also burnt.

Mba explained that one of the buildings was completely razed, while others were damaged. He explained that the incident was being investigated by the police.

He said: “Because of the colossal damage caused by the accident, the police are not going to treat the matter with levity. We will be discrete and meticulous in our investigations.

Mba attributed most of the road accident to fatigue and poor maintenance culture, among others.

He said the government, especially the Lagos State government, had tried to reduce road accidents, citing the setting up the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) as an example.

Prof. Idowu Sobowale, Head of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, who visited one of the affected houses owned by his late uncle, Alhaji Amidu Sobowale, described the incident as most unfortunate.

“All the tenants have been rendered homeless,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Physical Planning and Urban Development Authority has sealed off four of the houses affected by the fire. In a related development, a Honda Saloon car marked BE 660 BDG on Wednesday plunged into Ogun River in Ikorodu, killing the driver, identified as Gilbert Omosobe.

The car was pulled out from the river and the body of the victim deposited at the mortuary.