Vehicle crash into gas outlet triggers explosion in Kubwa
An early-morning crash into a gas retail outlet at Liberty Junction, Kubwa, Abuja, triggered an explosion at about 6:15am on Sunday, damaging a row of shops and forcing emergency teams to battle a spreading fire, multiple reports said.
The blast affected at least nine shops and sent thick smoke across the area, witnesses and media reports said. Flames spread to nearby containers and market stalls, and several structures in the vicinity were shaken by the blast.
Residents and passersby rescued the vehicle driver and a child who was in the car, and both were taken to hospital, the reports added. The vehicle involved was completely burnt, leaving only a badly damaged frame at the scene.
Firefighters and security operatives attended the scene to extinguish the blaze and secure the area, according to media accounts. One report listed the agencies deployed as the Federal Fire Service, the Federal Capital Territory Fire Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the National Emergency Management Agency and the Nigeria Police.
“The explosion was loud enough to wake people from their sleep, and we could feel the buildings shaking. Everyone was wondering what had happened,” a resident told Daily Trust and was quoted in coverage carried by Premium Times.
The incident disrupted movement along the corridor near Liberty Junction as motorists and pedestrians slowed or stopped, and fire trucks occupied parts of the road while emergency teams worked. BusinessDay reported that emergency crews laboured for several hours to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading further. The paper also said a nearby police traffic post was affected.
As of the time the stories were filed, the precise extent of the driver’s injuries had not been made public, one report said. Normal traffic flow returned later, with authorities and responders clearing the scene.
Separate coverage noted that Abuja has recorded several notable fire incidents since January, ranging from market blazes to petrol station explosions. That point was raised in the Premium Times report, which drew on earlier coverage of fire outbreaks in the federal capital.
The BusinessDay account of the incident is available here: BusinessDay. Premium Times coverage is here: Premium Times.
Featured image: AdastralNg22 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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