A petrol-laden tanker overturned and burst into flames on Sunday at the Iyana-Isolo axis inward Oshodi, Lagos, sparking a fire that spread to four parked trucks.
Eyewitnesses said the incident was triggered by the tanker driver, who was reportedly speeding before losing control of the vehicle while negotiating the inward Oshodi corridor.
Confirming the incident, spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Taofeek Adebayo, said the swift intervention of emergency responders helped avert a major tragedy.
“In an immediate display of coordinated emergency management, LASTMA operatives under the direct supervision of the agency’s operational command swiftly galvanized allied responders,” Adebayo stated.
“These included the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, officers of the Nigeria Police Force from Aswani, Ilasa, and Mushin divisions, alongside vigilant personnel of the Neighbourhood Safety Corps, all of whom collectively subdued the inferno and precluded its escalation into a greater tragedy,” he added.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the prompt response of rescue teams, noting that no human casualty was recorded due to LASTMA’s timely cordoning off of the affected corridor and restriction of vehicular movement from Ilasa inward Oshodi.
He, however, cautioned operators of articulated vehicles, fuel tankers, and other high-capacity conveyances against reckless driving.
Bakare-Oki stressed that strict adherence to statutory speed limits and traffic regulations remained critical to preserving lives, protecting property, and ensuring public safety across Lagos roads.