By Ado Oyeyemi
A seven-month-old baby was killed on Tuesday after a gas explosion triggered a fire that engulfed a retail gas outlet and a neighbouring hairdressing salon in the Egan area of Igando, Lagos State.
The incident occurred at about 1pm at Niyi Bus Stop in the Modina area, throwing residents into panic as flames razed both business premises.
Witnesses said the infant and a teenage girl were inside the gas shop when the explosion occurred, sparking the blaze that quickly spread to the adjacent salon.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, identified the deceased as the child of an apprentice working at the hairdressing salon.
According to the source, the baby had been playing inside the gas outlet alongside the teenage daughter of the shop owner before the explosion.
Another resident, Taofeek Adekunle, said neighbours made frantic efforts to save the child but were prevented by the intensity of the fire.
He explained that the teenage girl managed to escape with burns to both legs, while the baby’s mother and other occupants of the salon fled for safety as the flames intensified.
According to him, the infant attempted to crawl out of the burning shop but could not be reached because of the raging fire.
“The fire spread so quickly that no one could get close enough to rescue the child. Sadly, the baby was burnt to death, while the teenage girl sustained serious burns while escaping,” he said.
The explosion completely destroyed both the gas retail outlet and the adjoining hairdressing salon.
Residents said the baby’s mother collapsed after the tragedy and had to be revived by sympathisers at the scene.
Although some residents suspected the prevailing afternoon heat might have contributed to the explosion, the actual cause had yet to be determined as of the time of filing this report.
Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and other emergency agencies had not arrived at the scene when the incident was reported.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, did not respond to calls and text messages.
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The latest incident comes months after a gas explosion on Adeleye Street in the Sari Iganmu area of Lagos left a shop attendant hospitalised.
