FAAN clears air on fire incident at Lagos airport
Contrary to wide media reports of early morning ‘inferno’ at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, in Lagos, Wednesday, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says there was ‘no fire.’
Reports had claimed that the fire incident had happened at the primary gateway section of the airport on Wednesday morning, which caused stampede and confusion among airport passengers and other users.
The incident, described as ‘inferno’ emanated from a malfunctioning cable on the Tarmac, and said to have further damaged a portion of the FAAN administrative office the previous night.
However, making the clarification, Wednesday morning, FAAN, the airport managers, through its
Director Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, described it as ‘a smoke incident’ at the Terminal One of the airport.
FAAN said the incident which was reported at 7:50am, was traced to the basement of the terminal building.
“At approximately 0750 hours this morning, a smoke incident was reported at Terminal 1 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, located in Ikeja, Lagos. The source of the smoke was identified as originating from the basement of the Terminal building.
”Promptly responding to the situation, the dedicated firefighters from the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS) of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport initiated immediate action. “Their swift response and professional efforts have successfully brought the situation under control.
“In accordance with our unwavering commitment to the safety and well-being of passengers, staff, and all airport users, the Terminal building was promptly evacuated due to the smoke that had permeated some areas of the facility.
“We are pleased to report that the situation is presently under control,” FAAN said.
