Properties worth several millions of naira were destroyed in the Abule Egba area of Lagos State on Wednesday as fire from a petroleum products pipeline ravaged the area.
The Tide Metro gathered that the affected streets were Arowolo, Shobowale, Iyalode Abule-Egba, Taiwo Adewole, Adepegba, Wamon Taofeek, Santos and Owode.
It was learnt that the explosion was as a result of the activities of suspected petroleum products’ thieves from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s pipeline in the Arowolo area.
When our correspondent visited the site, a total of 63 vehicles, 98 shops, four tricycles, six houses and one church were counted to have been razed by the fire, which reportedly began around 2am.
It was gathered that the rescue teams that responded to the incident included the Lagos State Fire Service, the state Police Command, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Lagos State Emergency Ambulance Service and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency.
An eyewitness, Junad Aderogba, said the fire arose from the activities of vandals scooping fuel from a pipeline, adding that the incident was a reoccurrence of a similar one on December 26, 2006.
The 48-year-old said, “This is the third time such a fire incident is happening in the area. The hoodlums, who vandalised the pipeline, came with three tankers to steal fuel. When they finished scooping the fuel, they did not close the pipe and the fuel passed through the gutter and flowed down to the abattoir.
“Some butchers, who were roasting cow skin at the abattoir, were not aware that there was fuel in the gutter. So, the fuel attracted the fire and that was what led to the fire outbreak.”
A visibly distraught widow, Nkem Esezobor, who sells foodstuffs and pastries in the area, said her loss was too much for her to bear.