The fire, which engulfed the Avio Bridge E-54 wing, started at around 11:25 a.m. on Thursday. Responding swiftly to the alarm, as firefighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) were able to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.
However, the fire disrupted flights in and out of the airport for close to an hour, as the firefighters struggled to put out the raging inferno. It was gathered that the water supply in the fire engine was quickly depleted, forcing the firefighters to return to their base to refill the tank.
At the time of publishing this report, the reason for the fire outbreak could not be ascertained, and the FAAN is yet to make an official statement on persistent fire outbreaks at the terminal.
However, a source close to the terminal alleged that the fire might have occurred due to the recent expansion of the terminal and usage of inferior cables by the contractor.
“This is not the first time we experienced a fire outbreak in recent times. In fact, it is gradually becoming a part of the FAAN and if care is not taken, the entire terminal will be consumed by fire very soon,” the source stated.
“Before now, we were not experiencing this challenge, but since the cosmetics remodeling embarked upon by [former aviation minister] Stella Oduah, we consistently have breakdowns in the terminal. During the period, passengers were not allowed to board or disembark from their aircraft. Most of the cables used for the terminal are household cables and not factory, so the load on them is more than what they can carry.”
