Explosion rocks Apapa tank farm; NPA, NIMASA move to curtail spread

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By Olasunkami Akoni & Godwin Oritse

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Panic erupted at the Lagos tank farm cluster in Ibafon, Apapa, on Friday morning after a fire broke out at the Bono Tank Farm, located within the Best Energy Tank Farm complex.

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The inferno sent residents and workers in the area fleeing for safety as emergency responders moved in to contain the blaze.

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Although details of the incident at the time of this report were still sketchy, Vanguard gathered that the fire service departments of both the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) moved in to curtail the spread of the fire.

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Efforts to obtain comments from the management of Bono Tank Farm and Best Energy Tank Farm were unsuccessful, as phone calls and text messages sent to their representatives were neither answered nor acknowledged.

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Confirming the incident, the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said no casualties had been recorded as of the time of filing this report.

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Adeseye said firefighters and other emergency responders were fully deployed at the scene to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjoining tank farms and other nearby facilities.

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It was gathered that the fire broke out in the early hours of the morning, shortly after a loud explosion-like sound reverberated across the area, triggering panic among residents and workers.

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