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20 Dec 2012

NEWS: MURTALA MOHAMMED AIRPORT ON FIRE

Fire gutted parts of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Thursday (December 20, 2012) morning at about 11.30 am. It is believed to be an electrical fire as an eyewitness said the fire emanated from some cables, which apparently melted under heat. Some welders were working at the extension of Arrival ‘D’ Wing of the international airport. The fire raged for about 15 minutes.

Airport officials swiftly cut off power supply to the arrival and departure halls, in order to forestall any untoward development and isolated the scene of the spark. Billows of smoke were observed rising to the sky from behind the arrival hall.
Fire fighters were deployed in the affected area and were able to put the situation under control; while security men also erected a metal barricade around the site.
Power supply was restored to the airport terminal within a few minutes.
Flight operations were not affected while the incident lasted, though some passengers missed their flights, while the incident led to heavy traffic congestion on roads leading to the airport.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Yakubu Dati, confirmed the incident in a statement.
His statement read, “The prompt intervention of the fire service attached to the airport immediately brought the fire under control. There were no casualties. The only fall out of the incident was the switching off of the power source which has since been restored."
"Normal activities at the Airport which were not interrupted by the fire have continued as planes are taking off and landing without hitches."
"FAAN commends the rapid response of the officers and men of its Fire Department and other relevant agencies for restoring normalcy."
"We remain committed to providing secure, safe and comfortable airport environment as enshrined in the aviation master plan."
In a separate incident, a cargo plane blew off the roof of a parking lot at the airport on Wednesday night, causing damage to some cars.
All these are happening while we are still trying to get over the loss of lives to an helicopter crash last Saturday, December 15, 2012.
Are our airports safe? Is anywhere safe in this land?

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