Baby dies in Lagos gas shop explosion

A seven-month-old baby died on Tuesday after a gas explosion hit a gas shop in Egan, Igando area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro found out that the incident happened around 1pm at Niyi Bus Stop in the Modina part of the community.

Reports say the baby and a teenage girl were inside the gas shop when the explosion took place. This blast caused a fire that spread to the shop and a nearby hairdressing salon.

An eyewitness, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, shared that the baby was the child of an apprentice working at the salon. The eyewitness said the baby was playing inside the gas shop during the explosion.

“The explosion happened around 1pm and affected the hairdressing salon next to the gas shop. A seven-month-old baby, who was the child of one of the apprentices at the salon, was playing in the gas shop with a teenager, said to be the daughter of the gas shop owner, when the explosion occurred,” the source explained.

Another resident, Taofeek Adekunle, mentioned that neighbours tried to help rescue the baby but the fire was too strong. He also noted that the fire badly burned the teenager’s legs.

He said, “As soon as it happened, the teenager, who is the gas shop owner's daughter, ran out and escaped, leaving the baby behind. The people in the salon, including the baby’s mother, also ran for safety.

“The baby tried to crawl out, but the fire became too strong for anyone to get close enough to save the child. That was how the baby got burnt to death. The teenager also got burns on both legs while escaping. Both the gas shop and the hairdressing salon were completely destroyed by the fire.”

Taofeek added that the toddler’s mother fainted after the incident and residents rushed to help her.

Though residents thought the hot afternoon sun might have played a part in the explosion, officials had not confirmed the cause yet.

Emergency responders from the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies had not arrived at the scene by the time this report was made.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, had not replied to calls and text messages asking for confirmation as of the time this report was made.