Petrol-laden tanker explosion destroys property in Ondo State

Over the weekend, a petrol-laden tanker fell and exploded in the Idanre area of Ondo State, resulting in the destruction of property worth millions of naira. According to reports from Vanguard, at least 10 shops, one residential house, a new transformer, and a filling station were among the properties that were affected by the fire.

Fortunately, the timely intervention of the Federal Fire Service and the Ondo State Fire Service prevented further damages as the fire almost engulfed another filling station and a gas plant in the area.

According to a source, the tanker was at a filling station in the community to discharge the product into the underground tank of the filling station through a big pipe when it caught fire. “The tanker arrived at the petrol station this evening, and as the workers were discharging the fuel inside it into the underground tank, suddenly the fire began. It burnt down the filling station completely, and the house beside the station was also burnt. But later the firefighters arrived at the scene and put out the fire.”

However, the Federal Fire Service, Ondo State Command spokesperson, Oshin Victor Abayomi, contradicted the source’s statement, saying that the tanker was negotiating a roundabout at Opa in Idanre town when it fell and spilled its contents, and thereafter went up in flames.

Property Razed As Fire Guts Tanker In Ondo

Property worth millions of naira were burnt down in Idanre community in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday evening, when a tanker carrying petrol fell and caught fire. pic.twitter.com/5L4EagvEKx

— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) February 18, 2023

Abayomi disclosed that officials of the Fire Service and men from the State Fire Service jointly put out the fire. “The tanker was carrying fuel and wanted to discharge at a fuelling station in the course of turning; it fell. It was a terrible fire. Our men were there. They were coming from another incident in Owo. When they got to Idanre, the fire had done some damages. A lot of damages were done. The house that was burnt was a bungalow. Shops that were burnt were up to ten, a filling station very close to the roundabout was damaged, and a transformer at the junction was burnt too.”

The state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed the incident and stated that there were no casualties in the inferno. Odulami added that “The timely intervention of the men of the state fire service prevented the fire from causing more havoc.”