No fewer than seven cars, five buildings, three tricycles (Keke) and other properties worth several millions of naira have been destroyed in an inferno from a tanker laden with diesel along Aba-Owerri road in Aba, Abia State.

Although no life was lost in the incident, which happened on Friday morning, our correspondent gathered that the timely arrival of the Abia State Fire Service saved the entire area from being consumed.

A resident of the area, Ifeanyi Okoro said the incident was triggered off when a body of truck loaded with diesel broke off from the head of the truck discharging its content on the road as the driver was trying to enter a filling station.

“The tanker was going into the opposite filling Station but while the driver was trying to reverse; the body of the truck pulled off and discharged its content on the road,” he said.

According to him, all efforts to stop motorists from approaching the spot to avoid igniting the fire proved abortive as one of them drove on the overflowing diesel.

“We suspected that the heat from the bus exhaust pipe was what ignited the fire and before  was what ignited the fire and before you know what is happening, everywhere was in flame.amageddon 2

“The rage of the fire was so fierce that some of us had to run for safety until the Abia State Fire servicemen arrived the scene,” he added.

Incidentally a clergy car was among the seven cars consumed by the inferno including a 911 truck.

Narrating his fate the clergy, Rev. Alfred Okeke, said he parked his car by the roadside to buy feed for his livestock, only to return to see it burnt beyond recognition.

Also, a resident of one of the affected buildings, Mr. Emmanuel Kingsley who thanked God for sparing the lives of his brothers and other members of his family, described the incident as one of the horrific experiences he has had in recent times.

Lamenting the careless attitude of truck drivers on the road however, Federal Road Safety Commission Aba Commander Okora Awassam said that there were a lot of enlightenment programmes that the agency had initiated to educate the drivers on the need to be safety conscious at all times.

culled from cityreporters.com