Devastating Gas Station Explosion Levels Calabar Facility Leaving Multiple Residents Injured and Neighborhood Property Destroyed

Explosion at Fonex Gas Station in Calabar South destroys property and leaves several injured. Police and fire services mobilize as looting hits the area.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 6:59 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Daily Post Nigeria

A Morning of Chaos in Calabar South

The tranquility of the Edibe Edibe neighborhood was shattered on Saturday when a violent explosion erupted at the Fonex Gas Station, a private petroleum and gas outlet. Witnesses described a sudden, deafening blast that immediately transitioned into a towering inferno, consuming the facility’s primary infrastructure. The fire rapidly spread across the premises, engulfing high-pressure gas cylinders, fuel storage tanks, and several vehicles parked within the station’s perimeter. The intensity of the heat and the speed of the fire’s progression created a panic-stricken environment as the station is situated in the heart of a high-density residential and commercial zone.

Impact on Residents and Local Businesses

The human cost of the disaster became immediately apparent as several residents and bystanders sustained injuries ranging from severe burns to impact trauma. Due to the proximity of the station to residential buildings, the fire leapt to adjacent shops and homes, gutting structures and destroying livelihoods in minutes. While some of the injured were able to receive preliminary first aid at local patent medicine stores, the more critically wounded required urgent evacuation to nearby hospitals. The environmental damage remains significant, with thick plumes of black smoke visible across much of the Calabar South Local Government Area throughout the morning.

Gaps in Emergency Response and Public Safety

The aftermath of the explosion was marked by a troubling delay in professional emergency intervention. As the flames continued to threaten surrounding blocks, residents expressed growing frustration and alarm over the absence of the state fire service in the initial hours following the blast. In a desperate bid to prevent the fire from leaping to further residential clusters, local volunteers organized themselves into bucket brigades, utilizing sand, water, and various improvised materials to dampen the edges of the conflagration. This lack of immediate specialized equipment left the neighborhood vulnerable to secondary explosions as the heat affected remaining gas canisters.