A devastating gas tanker explosion in the early hours of Saturday claimed two lives and destroyed properties worth thousands of naira along the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos.
According to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the tragic incident occurred at about 2:36 a.m. when a speeding 20-tonne tipper truck traveling from the Epe axis rammed into a stationary 30-tonne gas truck that had reportedly failed to completely pull off the highway.
In a statement issued by the agency’s Controller General, Margaret Adeseye, emergency responders from Lekki Phase II Fire Station, Oniru Fire Station, and Epe II Fire Station were immediately deployed to the scene to contain the inferno.
The collision triggered a massive fire outbreak that quickly spread to three nearby warehouses and 10 roadside shops, including a gym and a generator house, causing extensive destruction before firefighters successfully brought the blaze under control.
Despite the intensity of the explosion, responders were able to prevent the fire from reaching a nearby TotalEnergies Filling Station, where a 33,000-litre PMS tanker was parked—an intervention that likely averted an even greater disaster.
Several vehicles and equipment were also affected, with three Sienna buses, one Toyota Corolla, and a forklift recovered from within the impacted premises.
The driver of the tipper truck and his assistant were found burnt beyond recognition, while the driver of the gas truck reportedly escaped without injury.
Authorities say evacuation of the wreckage is ongoing, and traffic flow has gradually returned to normal in the area.
