Panic on Third Mainland Bridge as BRT bus goes up in flames
The afternoon sun was already beating down on Lagos today, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, when the peaceful flow of traffic on the Third Mainland Bridge was suddenly broken by a sight that every commuter dreads. Around 1:00 p.m., a high capacity BRT bus suddenly burst into flames near the Adekunle axis, heading inward Iyana Oworo.
For those of us who use this bridge daily, we know that it is the very heart of the city’s movement, and any small “wahala” here can turn the whole day upside down. Seeing thick black smoke billowing into the sky from one of our own public buses was a reminder of how quickly a normal journey can turn into a nightmare. As an editor who has seen many Lagos stories, this particular incident highlights the fragile state of our public transport safety.
Miraculous escape for passengers as fire guts high capacity vehicle
The most important news from this morning’s chaos is that, by the grace of God, no lives were lost. When the fire started, the passengers did not wait to be told twice. Eyewitness reports and videos circulating online show people scrambling out of the bus as the flames began to swallow the large blue vehicle.
It was a scene of pure panic as motorists behind the bus had to hit their brakes and reverse to avoid being caught in the heat. The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, was quick to confirm that their officers, along with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, were deployed to the scene immediately.
While the bus has been completely roasted by the fire, we must be grateful that every single person on board managed to jump out before the situation got out of hand.
Massive gridlock inward Iyana Oworo leaves commuters stranded for hours.
While we are celebrating the safety of the passengers, the traffic situation that followed was another matter entirely. The Third Mainland Bridge is not a place where you want to have a breakdown, let alone a burning bus. The incident caused a massive “go slow” that stretched back for kilometers, affecting everyone heading toward Iyana Oworo, Yaba, and the Oworonshoki axis.
Many Lagosians found themselves stuck in their cars with nowhere to go, as the Adekunle section was cordoned off to allow the firemen to do their work. For a city that is always on the move, this kind of disruption means missed appointments, late arrivals for work, and a lot of frustrated people sitting in the heat. It took hours of hard work from traffic officials to start moving the vehicles again after the fire was put out.
Urgent need for better maintenance of our public transport fleet
This latest fire incident raises some very serious questions about the maintenance culture of the BRT fleet. This is not the first time we are hearing about these high capacity buses catching fire on our roads. If we want Nigerians to truly embrace public transport and leave their private cars at home, then the buses must be safe and reliable.
The authorities need to look beyond just putting out the fire and investigate what exactly is causing these mechanical failures. Is it the heat, poor servicing, or the age of the buses? As we move further into 2026, the safety of the common man who depends on these buses every day must be a top priority for the government. We cannot afford to wait until a tragedy happens before we start checking the engines of our public vehicles properly.
