About eight business outlets were affected yesterday following a gas explosion in Kubwa, Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The incident occurred at about 6am near Liberty Junction, along Arab Road in the satellite town, after a Toyota 4Runner reportedly lost control and crashed into a cooking gas outlet where several gas cylinders were stored.

A resident, Monday Lucky, who operates a business along the road, said the vehicle was heading towards the junction when the driver lost control and rammed into the gas outlet.

He said it was unclear whether the driver was travelling against traffic or had veered into the opposite lane before losing control of the vehicle.

According to him, volunteers rescued the driver, his wife and their child from the vehicle.

“It was the wife of the car owner who sustained a minor injury around her knee. They were rushed to a hospital in one of the commercial tricycles available at the time,” he said.

Lucky said flames broke out a few minutes after the crash.

He said volunteers initially stopped traffic from both directions to prevent vehicles from approaching the area, but a commercial tricycle operator reportedly ignored the warning and passed through the spot, after which the fire erupted.

The resident said about three shops located near the gas outlet had people sleeping inside at the time of the incident, but they all managed to escape before the fire started.

He added that some of the shops were locked from outside and had to be broken open to enable people to evacuate goods.

Also speaking, one of the volunteers, Wada Ali, who lives in a nearby warehouse known as Gidan-Katsinawa, said he and other commercial tricycle operators were preparing to start work for the day when they were alerted to the fire.

“The flame was as high as a two-storey building,” he said.

Ali said the tricycle operators moved closer to the scene and assisted in controlling traffic while emergency responders battled the fire.

Gas outlet owner counts losses

The owner of the gas outlet, Mrs Chioma Madueke, told Abuja Metro that she had received a 2.5-tonne supply of cooking gas the previous day after the outlet had been without gas for more than a week.

She said the truck that supplied the gas left the area at about 10pm on Saturday.

“There were about 30 gas cylinders, including 18 of 50kg capacity, as well as smaller ones of 12kg, 6kg and 3kg. Some belonged to my customers who planned to come and buy gas this morning.

“I also lost cylinder accessories, including regulators, control pumps and hose pipes, about three cartons in all,” she said.

Madueke, who was still visibly shaken when Abuja Metro visited the scene, said she could not locate most of the burnt cylinders because scavengers had moved them away before she arrived.

She said neighbouring businesses, including a cement retailer, a building materials shop, a confectionery/snacks outlet and about four other shops, also lost goods in the incident.

She estimated the value of the gas alone at nearly N4 million.

The explosion, which witnesses said occurred in about three separate bursts, also destroyed the vehicle that crashed into the gas outlet and damaged a nearby fence belonging to a brewery depot.

It also reportedly shook some manholes and brought down signboards around the junction.

The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Byazhin Division, Kubwa, CSP Musa Nyako, confirmed the incident and said the police were yet to locate the driver of the vehicle.

He said the vehicle had no number plate and appeared to be unregistered.

The blast also affected a police traffic post in the vicinity, leaving its makeshift structure damaged and displaced, with debris scattered around the area.

A section of a nearby drainage channel was also damaged in the incident.

Personnel from the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigeria Police were deployed to the scene to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the busy commercial area.

The explosion caused a major traffic gridlock along the corridor as commuters, motorcyclists and residents gathered around the scene.

Fire trucks lined the road as emergency personnel worked to extinguish the flames, clear the wreckage and secure the area.

The driver was reportedly taken to a hospital for medical attention after the crash, although details of his condition were not immediately available.

As of the time of filing this report, normalcy was gradually returning to the area, with emergency responders leaving the scene.

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