News

Tension as fire guts NNPC crude oil storage tank in Lagos

Published

6 months ago

May 17, 2024

There was a palpable tension as a new Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) Tank Farm, formerly OVH, was gutted by inferno at Kayode Street, Marine Beach, Apapa area of the state.

According to an eyewitness, Mr. Tunde Are, the incident occurred at about 11 am on Friday as people ran helter-skelter to contain the fire outbreak before rescue team arrived.

Rescue team led by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Emergency Management Authority, LASEMA, as of press time, 1 pm were battling to put off the raging fire.

The inferno, it was gathered resulted from a spillage of petroleum products within the perimeter of the terminal

Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Mrs. Margaret Adeseye, while confirming the unfortunate incident said concerted effort with various emergency responders within the oil and gas industry was on to contain the situation.

“The public are hereby assured that the emergency operation is under control from escalating further,” Adeseye stated.

This is the second time the facility will be gutted by fire for 4 years. The OVH Energy storage facility which contained about 6,000 metric tonnes of petrol was razed by fire in 2020.

It took the effort of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Federal Fire Service and its state counterpart, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), NIMASA, Total Plc, UBA and Mobil Plc, as well as 12 other tenders to put it off.