The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire outbreak at Terminal 2 of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos.
This
is contrary to initial concerns that prompted an emergency response by the
agency earlier today.
An
initial post on the social media handle of FAAN, had alleged that there was a
fire incident at the Lagos airport.
The
post had said: “The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to
inform the public that a fire incident has occurred at Terminal 2 of the
Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
“The FAAN
Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service (ARFFS) is currently responding
to the incident and working diligently to contain the situation. There have
been no reported casualties or loss of life,” the authority said.
But a later
statement by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, FAAN, Henry
Agbebire, debunked the earlier post by the agency.
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According
to Agbebire, the smoke seen within the terminal was caused by the discharge of
the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
The
statement emphasised that investigations were ongoing to determine what
triggered the automatic activation.
FAAN
said normal flight operations had resumed at the terminal following the
incident.
The
statement read in part: “Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire
at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the
discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the
activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated.
“Normal
operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations
are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident.”
FAAN
assured passengers, airlines and other airport users that safety remained its
top priority, stressing that a comprehensive investigation had commenced to
establish the exact cause of the incident.
The
agency also explained that the temporary congestion experienced at the
terminal’s entry screening points was a direct consequence of the precautionary
evacuation carried out after the smoke was detected.
According
to FAAN, all passengers were safely evacuated from the terminal
before being allowed back into the facility after emergency responders declared
the area safe.
It
said the re-entry process required every passenger and their baggage to undergo
fresh security screening, resulting in longer processing times and queues at
the terminal.
However,
FAAN confirmed that the backlog had been cleared, with passenger movement and
access points returning to normal.
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