[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t was a scene of intense heat, fire, smoke and tears as business owners lost goods worth millions of naira in a raging fire accident.
A fire outbreak on First Avenue in the FESTAC town part of Lagos State has razed a car and furniture shops in the area with about 26 vehicles and 4 motorcycles destroyed, TORI NEWS can authoritatively report.
The fire incident reportedly broke out at about 12pm around the FESTAC link bridge as the tanker driver attempted to mount the sloppy bridge, a police officer told a TORI NEWS reporter.
Multiple accounts gathered revealed there was no casuality and the tanker driver in the eye of the storm was not in sight as he had evaded the scene for the fear of being mobbed.
The inferno however threw the area into pandemonium with residents and other business operators scampering for safety.
The first respondents at the scene of the accident blamed the Local Government authorities over the inability to site an Emergency Service Agency around the opulent FESTAC Area.
“The government has failed us again. This disaster could have been averted if the fire services came on time.
“The fire incident started at 12pm and it took the firefighters almost two hours when the fire had escalated to visit the scene and salvage the situation. We struggled helplessly for hours with the little we had,” an angry resident revealed while speaking to journalists.
A resident, in the rowdy scene who sympathized with the yet to be identified car shop owner claims the owner would have lost exotic vehicles including a Venza and others reportedly worth about N500 million.
An official of the Lagos State Fire Service told TORI NEWS correspondent that his office was contacted around 12pm when the fire was raging and they swung right into action.
Officials of the LASEMA Response Unit, LRU, were spotted at the scene trying to assist in quenching the fire at different ends of the scene.
Multiple police officers were also seen at the scene of the fire incident patroling the area to prevent the breakdown of law and order while also trying to maintain an appreciable flow of traffic.
“The FESTAC bridge road will be blocked throughout today” a police officer at the scene who didn’t want his identity revealed stated.
“We are trying to control the crowd and make sure nobody gets hurt. We were called at 12pm and we have been here (at the scene) trying to do our bit.
“Our DPO is also on ground trying to liase with officials of the Emergency Services,” the officer added.
Scores of motorcylists and hundreds of sympathizers were seen at the razed area just as motorists lament bitterly in the gridlock caused.
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