A Lagos state BRT bus was engulfed in flames on the Third Mainland Bridge on Tuesday afternoon, disrupting traffic movement around the Adekunle axis inward Iyana Oworo.
The incident was confirmed by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on its official X account.
According to LASTMA, the fire incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. and immediately affected vehicular movement on the busy corridor, which serves as a major link between Lagos Mainland and other parts of the city.
What they are saying
According to LASTMA, the fire incident occurred around 1:00 p.m. and immediately affected vehicular movement on the busy corridor, which serves as a major link between Lagos Mainland and other parts of the city.
LASTMA noted that emergency response efforts were already underway at the time of the update.
“Efforts are ongoing to put out the fire, and our officers are on scene managing the traffic situation,” they said
Traffic officers were deployed to control the flow of vehicles and reduce gridlock while fire suppression efforts continued.
What this means
The Third Mainland Bridge is one of Lagos’ busiest transport routes, carrying thousands of vehicles daily. Because so many commuters depend on it to move between Lagos Mainland and Lagos Island, even a brief disruption can quickly cascade into heavy congestion.
Any disruption along the corridor often leads to significant delays, spillover congestion, and longer travel times for commuters heading toward Iyana Oworo, Yaba, and surrounding areas.
There have been several recorded cases over the past few years where BRT buses in Lagos caught fire or were burnt under different circumstances. These incidents call for regular vehicle maintenance, stricter safety inspections to ensure passenger safety and prevent prolonged traffic congestion.
What you should know
The Traffic Management Authority said multiple traffic incidents were recorded across key roads in Lagos, contributing to traffic congestion in different corridors.
- According to LASTMA, a road crash involving a mini bus and a Toyota Highlander occurred around 3:06 p.m. at National inward Airport Bridge, affecting vehicular movement toward Oshodi, with police officers deployed for assessment while traffic officials managed the resulting backlog.
- Earlier in the day, at about 2:00 p.m., a containerized truck broke down at Okokomaiko on the main carriageway inward Iyana Iba along the Lagos Badagry Expressway due to a battery problem, prompting evacuation efforts and traffic monitoring by LASTMA officers.
- At about 1:50 p.m., another incident was recorded on Ojuelegba Bridge inward Stadium, where a flatbed trailer broke down, causing a traffic backlog extending to Fadeyi, with a tow vehicle contacted for evacuation and officers managing traffic flow.
