Rescue teams are reported to have had difficulties getting to the scene of the fire
An explosion in a warehouse has sparked a major fire in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city and commercial capital.
The country's emergency services said a fireworks store in
the busy market area of Lagos Island exploded, and the blaze quickly
spread to other buildings.The blast reportedly shook windows of homes miles away and a thick cloud of smoke could be seen over the island.
It was not immediately clear if there were any fatalities nor what the cause of the fire was.
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo, in Lagos, says he saw people with shrapnel wounds some distance from the fire and that it is quite likely anyone closer would have been worse affected.
Thousands of people in the area gathered to watch, as the fire destroyed neighbouring buildings.
Our correspondent said emergency services had problems reaching the scene of the fire because of the huge crowds, and did not arrive until about an hour after the blast.
source : bbc.co.uk