It was a tragic Saturday evening at the Owode area of Oyo Town, Oyo State, as property worth millions of naira was destroyed following a fire outbreak involving a fuel-laden tanker at the Gastab Filling Station along Ibadan/Oyo Road.

According to Sunday Telegraph checks, the fire incident occurred as a result of sparks during the offloading of petroleum from the tanker into the underground tank of the filling station.

It was gathered that the petroleum tanker, a 45,000-litre Scania DAF with registration number XV 97 AGL, caught fire due to the sparks.

The General Manager of Oyo State Fire Service, Mr. Yemi Akinyinka, confirmed the development in a statement issued on Sunday.

He, however, noted that no life was lost in the incident, even as men of the fire agency remained on standby to prevent further occurrences.

According to him, “The agency’s officers, led by ACFS Tijani Bamidele, were promptly deployed to the scene of the incident. On arrival, we met a Scania DAF with registration number XV 97 AGL, loaded with 45,000 litres of petroleum spirit, engulfed in flames.”

“The firemen swiftly swung into action and, together with the Federal Fire Service, battled the fire, which took hours to completely extinguish. The fire incident was caused by sparks during the offloading of petroleum spirit from the truck into the underground tank, which ignited combustibles and set the tanker ablaze.”

He added, “No casualties were recorded, but the petrol tanker was destroyed by the fire. However, the fire service was able to save the petrol station and property worth billions of naira.”

Mr. Akinyinka also noted that the Senior Adviser on Fire Reform and Chairman, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, the Director of Operations, Oyo Fire Services Agency, and officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Ojongbodu Division, led by CSP Adeyeye, were present at the scene.