Two dead, many vehicles burnt as pipeline fire ravages Ijegun, Lagos

A pipeline explosion occurred at Ijegun, in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State in the early hours of Thursday.

Two unidentified bodies, as well as many vehicles and shops that have been razed by the raging early morning fire that engulfed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline at Ijegun, a Lagos suburb.

Suspected pipeline vandals were said to have ignited the fire at about 5am on Thursday at Fire Junction, Ijegun, in an attempt to prevent security operatives from going after them.

According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the vandals had siphoned Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) into a 33,000 litre capacity tanker and were loading a second one when they were intercepted by security operatives.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) LASEMA Femi Oke-Osanyetolu, said the vandals spilled some of the PMS which entered drainages while fleeing and allegedly lit a fire that followed the spilled content backward

Osanyetolu said, “While trying to escape from the security agencies, some of the siphoned fuel spilled into the drainage and the vandals were alleged to have set the spilled fuel on fire in a bid to deter the security agencies from apprehending them.

“The fire then spread back to the pipeline, the point where the vandals had siphoned the fuel and exploded with escalating fire which led to two fatalities and over 30 vehicles burnt.

“The actual loss will be determined upon conducting post disaster enumeration after the fire has been put out. Responders at the scene include Lagos State Fire Service, Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).”