PANDEMONIUM AS CAR BURSTS INTO FLAMES AT LAGOS AIRPORT

There was pandemonium yesterday at the headquarters of the Federal Ports Health Services located within the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos when a Mercedes Benz car burst into flames, shortly after it was parked within the premises.
Workers and travellers, who were in the health facility to obtain Yellow Cards and inoculation, scampered for safety, suspecting that a car bomb had been detonated.
The three occupants of the vehicle, with registration number Lagos LAD 22O AE, who refused to disclosed their identities, claimed they were in the health facility for immunisation and to obtain the Yellow cards.
The fleeing workers and travellers, who noticed that the occupants of the vehicle were struggling to put out the inferno, however, returned to the scene to give helping hands.
In a desperate bid to put out the raging fire, some of the occupants of the car rushed to a nearby toll plaza when it was discovered that the small-sized fire extinguisher in the car was inadequate but their efforts proved abortive as they were only able to curtail the fire from spreading to other parts of the car after about 20 minutes battle.
Realising the danger posed to the safety of their facilities, personnel of an aviation fuel supplying company, Sahara Oil, which shares fence with the ports health facility, pumped several litres of water, mixed with chemicals on vehicles parked within their premises to cool the temperature and prevent possible spread of the inferno.
The fleeing passengers said they had to run because they thought militants were about to detonate a bomb in the port health facility to blow up the JET A1 fuel depot, popularly known as Joint User Hydrant Installation (JUHI), located next to the premises. But they had to return to render a helping hand when they saw the vehicle owner and other occupants battling to put out the fire.
Shortly after, a team from fire prevention unit of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), NAHCO Station arrived at the scene; but could barely do anything because the water truck brought could not pump out water through the hose, even as the smoke came out from different parts of the vehicle.
Relief, however, finally came when Sahara Oil facility supplied water which was used to put out the inferno. The cause of fire, which lasted for about one hour before it was put out, is yet unknown as at the time of filing in this report.
Source: Newswatch Times