Four people sustained various injuries in a fire that gutted Fat Noble filling station, an independent oil marketer, along Old Road, opposite Torikoh, Badagry, Lagos, on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire broke out around 1:00 a.m. while attendants were dispensing petrol into jerry cans and sacks at the rear of the station.

According to a source, those injured were rushed to the General Hospital in Badagry before the arrival of firefighters.

“They were selling fuel, apparently for smuggling out of the country, when there was a sudden explosion,” the source said. “The fire destroyed part of the station before the Lagos Fire Service arrived. Those with serious injuries were taken to the hospital, while those with minor injuries were treated on-site.”

Mr. Isaac Dossa, the Station Head of the Badagry Fire Service, confirmed receiving an emergency call about the incident at 1:15 a.m. and dispatched a team immediately.

“We reached the scene at 1:25 a.m., and the fire was extinguished by 3:55 a.m. Most of the victims had already been taken to the General Hospital before our arrival,” Dossa said.

A NAN correspondent who visited the hospital’s emergency unit saw four men with various injuries receiving treatment. Their relatives awaited updates anxiously at the entrance.

Dr. Olatunde Bakare, the Medical Director, confirmed that the victims were brought in around 1:30 a.m. and received immediate medical attention.

“They are currently being treated in the emergency unit,” Bakare said.