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A fire broke out at a tank farm in Apapa, Lagos State, Nigeria on Friday morning, leading to a disagreement between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Lagos State Fire Service regarding the location of the incident.
A video of the fire, which quickly circulated on social media, showed flames engulfing the depot. The Lagos State Fire Service claimed the blaze occurred at an NNPCL facility. “The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service is attending to a fire outbreak at the new NNPC Terminal, formerly OVH, Kayode Street, Marine Beach, Apapa. The fire resulted from a spillage of petroleum products within the perimeter of the tank farm,” said Amodu Shakiru, Director of Public Affairs for the Fire Service.
Margaret Adeseye, Director and CEO of the Lagos State Fire Service, assured the public that emergency responders were actively working to contain the situation. “Concerted efforts with various emergency responders within the oil and gas industry are being made to contain the situation. The public is hereby assured that the emergency operations are under control from escalating further,” Adeseye stated.
However, NNPCL spokesperson Olufemi Soneye refuted the Fire Service’s claim, stating that the fire occurred at Honeywell Oil and Gas Limited (HOGL) pipeline, not at an NNPCL depot. “It is not at the NNPC, but at HOGL. The fire is at a pipeline at HOGL. The fire has since been extinguished. It’s at the Honeywell depot but it has now been extinguished. Not NNPC,” Soneye said in messages to our correspondent. He described the Lagos State Fire Service’s report as “false.”
The incident, although alarming, was quickly brought under control, with no reported casualties. Emergency responders continue to monitor the area to prevent any further incidents.
