The serene atmosphere of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos was ruptured on Tuesday night and early morning on Wednesday when two fire incidents razed some parts of the facilities belonging to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Nairametrics gathered that some parts of the Account Department of FAAN at the Lagos airport were razed by fire on Tuesday night around 8 p.m., while the international terminal of the same airport was engulfed in fire at 7:23 a.m. on Wednesday.
This is not the first time that both facilities have been affected by fire in recent times.
A source close to FAAN told our correspondent that it had become a tradition for either the account or the audit departments of FAAN to be razed by fire whenever there is a change of guards, especially when a new minister is appointed for the industry.
In 2017, in April to be precise, the former headquarters of FAAN, now regional headquarters was equally affected by a fire incident.
The affected offices then included the Audit, Communications and Engineering Departments.
The incident was allegedly caused by an electrical fault in one of the departments.
The files and other equipment belonging to the authority were completely destroyed during the fire incident.
Immediately, the then Managing Director of FAAN, Engr. Saleh Dunoma set up a committee to unravel the immediate or the remote cause of the fire incident, but nothing was heard about it thereafter.
Besides, at 7:23 a.m. on Wednesday morning, another fire incident gutted the international terminal of Lagos Airport.
The incident led to apprehension among airport users, especially the air travellers who scampered for safety to prevent being touched by the fire.
A terse press statement from FAAN confirmed the terminal fire incident but was silent on the incident, which affected its Account Department on Tuesday night.
The statement by Abdullahi Yakubu-Funtua, Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, FAAN, said that the fire incident was due to an electrical spark at the baggage hall ceiling of the airport.
According to Yakubu-Funtua, the fire incident occurred at about 07:23 hours on Wednesday and led to a smoke at the terminal.
He said that the source of the smoke was identified as a burning lithium inverter battery installation in the basement.
He said that at exactly 07:30hrs, the firefighters from the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (ARFFS), a department in FAAN and the Electrical Department of the authority initiated immediate action.
He noted that the response and professional efforts successfully brought the situation under control.
- The statement added: “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.”
