A 45,000-litre petrol tanker burst into flames on Thursday while transferring petrol into the reservoir of Fortunate Petrol Filling Station in Ilorin, Kwara State capital.
Newsmen correspondent who witnessed the incident reports that the quick response of the state fire service saved the filling station from a major fire disaster.
The fire incident occurred at about 19:44 hours, at the filling station located opposite Government Secondary School, Maraba, on Old Jebba Road, Ilorin.
The petrol tanker, with registration number PTG 534 XA, was attempting to transfer PMS into the station's reservoir.
Within 10 minutes, the firefighters successfully brought the inferno under control and extinguished it.
Spokesman of the state fire service, Hassan Adekunle, disclosed that "investigation revealed that the tanker, having travelled a considerable distance, became excessively hot, leading to the ignition of spilled petrol during the transfer to the filling station's underground reservoir."
Present at the scene was Hon. AbdulRazaq Jiddah, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State, who commended the firefighters for their heroic efforts and rapid response in preventing further damage to the filling station and nearby structures.
Director, Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John Olumuyiwa, urged the general public to always play safe, especially during this period.
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