By John Ugo, Awka
Properties worth several millions of naira were on Friday gutted by fire when a petrol tanker laden with petroleum product went off in flames at a filling station in Ogidi, Idemili North local government area of Ananbra State.
The incident which happened at about 10am near the commercial town of Onitsha, razed portions of the filling station and other properties around the area.
Investigation revealed that no life was lost during the incident.
Residents close to the area scampered for safety as the fire spread to adjoining properties.
Findings showed that the driver of the petrol tanker was discharging petroleum products inside the underground tank of the filling station when a sudden fire occurred, causing huge explosion that engulfed the area.
Source close to the scene said, “There was pandemonium in the entire area in Ogidi, near Onitsha. The petrol tanker was discharging fuel at the filling station, when a small spark of fire was noticed, and before it could be extinguished, the tanker was already in flame, burning down the filling station”.
The director of the Anambra Fire Service, Mr Martin Agbili when contacted confirmed the incident
He said that team of the fire service men had been deployed to the scene and they have successfully put out the fire with the assistance of the Federal fire service.
He said: “At about 09:53am 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 Fire fighters were deployed to the fire incident scene. Anambra State Fire Service, Awka, Nigeria 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 transloading process.”
“We will continue to tell petrol filling station owners to stop discharging and transloading under the intensity of the sun or during the day.”
“This practice is best done in the night or in the early hours of the morning,” Agbili said.
