Explosion Rips Through Edibe Edibe as Fonex Gas Station Vanishes in Flames

The serene Saturday morning in Calabar South was shattered by a deafening roar as a private petrol and gas outlet, Fonex Gas Station, went up in a massive ball of fire.

The explosion, which rocked the densely populated Edibe Edibe Street, didn’t just destroy a business—it sent a wave of terror through a neighborhood where homes and shops sit dangerously close to fuel pumps. By the time the smoke cleared, the facility was a charred skeleton, several residents were nursing painful burns, and the area was crawling with both rescuers and looters.

Witnesses describe a scene straight out of an action movie. One minute, business was as usual; the next, a “massive fire” engulfed the storage tanks. The heat was so intense that it didn’t just stay within the station—it jumped the fence, catching nearby shops and buildings.

“People were running everywhere,” one resident shared. “Some were jumping over gutters, others were trying to drive their cars away before they also caught fire.”

In a heartbreaking twist, the official emergency responders—the Fire Service—were nowhere to be found in the critical first hour. This left the community to fend for itself:

The Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, has confirmed that officers are on the ground to restore order and keep the looters at bay. He also noted that they are pulling in the heavy hitters, including fire support from FAAN (Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria), to ensure the site is fully cooled down.