Scavengers at the scene of the gas explosion at Agbado Road Iju Ishaga were seen happily scooping metallic items and plastics from the wreckage of the stores of victims at Toyin Bus Stop, Iju Ishaga, a suburb of Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), which visited the scene on Wednesday, reports that the scavengers were seen in their numbers scrambling for metals and other valuables.
An eye witness, simply identified as Kingsley Chieze, told NAN that the owner of one of the shops, a supermarket, had restocked a few days before the gas explosion occurred on Tuesday.
The inferno completely razed the supermarket, giving way to scavengers in the area to feast on its remains.
Chieze told NAN that the explosion, which occurred at about 9.00 p.m., was traceable to a gas retail shop refilling its cylinders from a gas tanker.
According to him, he was relaxing at a bar a few meters away when the explosion occurred.
“The explosion sounded like a bomb blast. It was accompanied by yellow flames,” Chieze said.
He argued that the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene about 45 minutes after the explosion.
He expressed gratitude for the professional approach of the firemen.
Another eyewitness, who identified himself simply as David, hailed the staff of a Kerozone filling station located about two poles away from the scene of the gas explosion.
David said the staff used water, chemicals fire extinguishers and everything in their arsenal to stop the fire from spreading before officials of the Lagos fire service arrived.
While there was no casualty recorded at the scene, property worth millions of naira was lost to the explosion.
With the regular occurrence of fire emergencies in the state, it has become imperative for business owners to take issues of insurance policies very seriously.
One of the many questions asked by onlookers and passersby is the issue of the regulation of the sale of cooking gas within the neighbourhood where people live.