A petrol tanker yesterday caused fire outbreak, razing down a part of a filling station in Ogidi, a town near the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State.
An eyewitness said the fire started when the petrol tanker was discharging petroleum product in the filling station, thereby causing the fire outbreak.
The incident caused pandemonium in the entire area, forcing neighbours to scamper to safety.
“The petrol tanker was discharging fuel at the filling station, when a spark of fire was noticed, and before it could be extinguished, the tanker was in flame, burning down the filling station,” the eye witness said.
Meanwhile, the state Fire Service has successfully put off the fire.
Commenting on the incident, the state Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Martin Agbili said: “At about 09:53 am of today (Friday), we received a distress call of a fire outbreak at a petrol filling station at 7th Mile, Ogidi. Our fire trucks and firefighters were deployed to the fire incident scene. Anambra State Fire Service, Awka and Federal Fire Service were there to fight the fire.
The fire had been completely controlled and extinguished now. There was no loss of life while the filling station was saved.
“The fire affected the tanker. The cause of the fire outbreak was as a result of spark from the pumping ground during their trans-loading process. We will continue to tell petrol filling station owners to stop discharging and trans-loading under the intensity of the sun or during the day. This practice is best done in the night or at the early hours of the morning.”
