The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has described yesterday’s fire incident at the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, as minor and nothing to worry about.

Confirming the fire incident, FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr. Yakubu Dati, said it was a minor incident which took place at the departures hall of the international terminal of the MMA at about 11:45 a.m. yesterday.

According to him, “The smoke was quickly traced to the electric panel room on the second floor of the terminal by a combined team of FAAN’s electrical engineers and fire officers. Preliminary investigation reveals that the incident was caused by a short circuit at the panel room which was quickly arrested by the engineers on duty.”

Dati assured traveling public and other airport users that there was no immediate danger to anyone as a result of the incident neither did it affect flight operations at the terminal.

Pasengers had been thrown into a state of panic when smoke engulfed a part of the terminal building.

A Daily Independent report quoted an eyewitness who does not want his name in print as saying that as soon as the smoke of the fire was noticed, passengers and other users of the terminal scampered for safety, running in different directions despite the fact that the specific area where the smoke came from was not known.

The source, who said that the fire lasted for over 20 minutes before it was put out by FAAN fire fighters, added that the fire started from the basement of the terminal and spread to the fifth floor of the terminal

He further disclosed that before the FAAN fire trucks, a pick-p van with registration number FKJ 407 AS and P6-03 put out the fire, some staff of the agency had tried in vain to put out the fire with fire extinguishers but could not, due to the intensity of the fire at that time.

The source stated that while some staff were trying to quench the fire, others ran for their dear lives.

•Photo shows FAAN Spokesman Yakubu Dati.