Air travellers and other airport users on Monday
scampered for safety when fire engulfed the major administrative building of
the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State, and consequently
paralysed flight operations.
Siting the pall of smoke rising into the air,
people began to run out of the terminal and other buildings at the airport.
Motorists who were coming to the airport made quick
U-turn while those already at the premises quickly reversed for safety.
The thick smoke rose and painted the skyline dark,
as it spread to other buildings due to the delay before attempt was made to put
out the fire.
According to eye-witness account, the only fire
vehicle at the airport responded slowly to the emergency, and by the time the
fire was put out, it had raised the administrative block, where aero medical,
airline offices and offices of some staff of the Federal Airports Authority of
Nigeria (FAAN) are housed.
The fire also damaged parts of the VIP lounge, the
arrival and departure areas of the terminal.
According to the source, “The fire was so intense
that it was difficult for fire fighters to access the terminal, so they had to
break the window glasses in order to get inside the facility.”
It was also learnt that the delay in putting out
the fire caused its spread and made it difficult to extinguish.
However, FAAN in a statement signed by its General
Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said: “FAAN wishes to inform
passengers and the public that there was a fire incident that affected some
parts of the terminal building of Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in
Owerri at about 1400hours today.
“The fire was however curtailed swiftly by officers
of the Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Services Department of FAAN. There
was no casualty and normal operations have since resumed at the airport. The Authority has commenced preliminary
investigations into the cause of the incident.”
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