The Director of Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, has on Thursday appealed to the general public to be extra cautious, especially during this harmattan season. This is as a 45,000-litre petrol tanker caught fire during a transfer of fuel to the reservoir of a filling station in Ilorin, the state capital.
According to reports, the petrol tanker, with registration number PTG 534 XA, caught fire while attempting to transfer PMS to the reservoir of Fortunate Petrol Filling Station in Ilorin, a direct building from the Government Secondary School, Maraba, along Old Jebba road in Ilorin.
However, within 10 minutes of the incident, the firefighters successfully controlled and extinguished the inferno.
According to the New Telegraph, the fire broke out around 7:44 p.m. at the filling station.
Meanwhile, the quick response of the state fire service saved the filling station from a major fire disaster, according to reports.
Hassan Adekunle, the spokesperson of the State’s fire service in a statement, “Investigation revealed that the tanker, having travelled a considerable distance, became excessively hot, leading to the ignition of spilt petrol during the transfer to the filling station’s underground reservoir.”
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to Kwara Governor on Special Duties, Hon. AbdulRazaq Jiddah visited the inferno scene and praised the firefighters for their brave efforts and quick response in preventing more damage to the filling station and other adjoining properties.