TUESDAY’s warehouse explosion that sparked a major fire in Lagos led to the death of at least one person, while as many as 40 others were reportedly injured.
According to officials, the explosion and ensuring fire were caused by fire-crackers stored in one of the buildings used as a warehouse in the highly congested Lagos Island area of Lagos, with the fire spreading quickly to neighboring buildings.
At least nine buildings were affected by the blaze from the explosion. Other nearby buildings suffered damages from the intensity of the explosion that shook buildings as far as 30 miles from the epicenter of the incident.
A cloud of smoke billowed from the scene of the explosion, accompanied by the sparks of fire-by, known as ‘bangers’ to most Nigerians.
The sound of popping and crackling carried on as the fire raged on in this densely populated part of Lagos, full of closely packed buildings in narrow streets.
Residents of the area told me they thought it was a bomb at first when a blast shook buildings around the large, boisterous Jankara Market.
Many people were seen with shrapnel wounds suffered as a result of the explosions, even though they were a fair distance from the explosion.
There was little that people could do but watch, with some trying to get photographs of the incident on their mobile phones.
Emergency workers say they had problems getting past the huge crowds of onlookers, similar to a complaint they raised in June when a plane crashed into a residential area in another part of Lagos.
An official from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, told journalists that one charred body was pulled out of the building where the fireworks detonated.
The force of the initial blast was such that some residents reportedly mistook it for a bomb or a falling plane.
Windows in nearby buildings were shattered and a neighboring school was badly damaged. Thousands of people in the area gathered to watch, as the fire destroyed neighboring buildings.
Some were desperately searching the crowd for information on family members while the fire was burning and sporadic fireworks explosions could still be heard.
“Everything has burned now. I don’t see my brother now or his son – I’ve not seen anybody now. They might have collapsed inside there, nobody can enter there,” said one man.
Residents grabbed hoses from fire engines in attempt to fight the blaze, but the water quickly ran out, according to eyewitnesses on ground.
Police and security officials reportedly recovered mortar-like fireworks and empty firework shells from the scene.