Nigeria in pictures: The firemen of Lagos

BBC · Jun 10, 2015, 05:31 AM

It is not uncommon for fuel tankers to burst into flames on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria's largest city. For the last decade photographer Akintunde Akinleye has been capturing the moment firemen turn up: Lagos Firemen, February 2010, Ijora neighbourhood

Lagos Firemen, February 2010, Ijora neighbourhood

Fuel tanker explosions are so common in Lagos that local media have been known to report multiple fires in one night. The fireman laughs in response to his helmet failing out of his hand while he also struggling to hold the hose.

The fireman laughs in response to his helmet failing out of his hand while he also struggling to hold the hose.

The state governor Akinwunmi Ambode recently blamed frequent tanker explosions on drivers' carelessness causing crashes. Bad brakes have also been blamed. A fireman looks the other way as a fire burns in an oil tanker

A fireman looks the other way as a fire burns in an oil tanker

The fire service is not well equipped for a city the size of Lagos. There are very few fire-fighting vehicles and they have been known to go to the scene of a fire without water. Lagos Firemen 7, May 2010 Ijora, Lagos

The fire service in Lagos is not a particularly big one - there are 13 fire stations in a city of about 20 million people. Its equipment is also not designed to cope with Lagos' many high-rise buildings. Was taken in Lagos Island. It was not a oil taker explosion but a fire cracker explosion stored in a local warehouse where it was stored after a midnight fire, Was taken december, 26, 2012

Was taken in Lagos Island. It was not a oil taker explosion but a fire cracker explosion stored in a local warehouse where it was stored after a midnight fire, Was taken december, 26, 2012

However, it is the best-equipped service in Nigeria, though the firemen risk their lives for poor pay. Fire is not the only risk - they have been attacked by angry people who accuse them of arriving late. A fireman ushers the photographer out of the way

A fireman ushers the photographer out of the way

Firemen are also vulnerable to attacks from people who do not want them to put out fires so they can use the confusion of a fire outbreak to loot. A man in the crowd takes a picture as the smoke bellows out of the plane that fell down in Lagos in 2013. It crashed into a printing works and burst into flames on its way from Abuja. There were later reports of people trying to loot the wreckage 1 June 3, 2012 Agege, Lago

A man in the crowd takes a picture as the smoke bellows out of the plane that fell down in Lagos in 2013. It crashed into a printing works and burst into flames on its way from Abuja. There were later reports of people trying to loot the wreckage 1 June 3, 2012 Agege, Lago

Reports after this fire in 2012 said people tried to loot this wreckage of a plane. It had fallen from the sky and burst into flames when it hit a printing works.

Source: BBC