A diesel tanker was gutted by fire in the Ojota area, inward Ketu, Lagos State on Monday morning.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the fire which started around 8 am completely burnt the 10-tyre diesel tanker.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent who visited the scene that the tanker was empty and was already on fire as it approached the location.
Our correspondent also observed that all vehicles going towards Ketu, Mole 12 axis were taking one-way and the Bus Rapid Transit lanes due to the fire.
One of the eyewitnesses, who is a loader in a park located in the area, Freeman Park, Felix Afolorunsho said the driver when he got to that location tried to quench the fire using his fire extinguisher but the fire was already overwhelming.
He added that some people in the area alerted the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency and the fire service who came at 9 am but could not save the vehicle.
Afolotunsho however said the tanker was empty and that was the luck they had, if not it would have exploded.
“I don’t know where exactly the fire started from, but as the vehicle approached it was already on fire, so people started shouting, fire, fire, and the driver stopped the vehicle. Immediately, he came out and brought his fire extinguisher trying to put out the fire but the fire extinguisher could not control the fire.”
Another eye witness, a vulcanizer engineer, Steven Ayedepe, said people gathered to quench the fire with water, but the fire was above their capabilities.
“People came with foam water, we tried to quench the fire but it was getting too hot and was above our capacity, so we called the fire service but before they got here the vehicle had already been burnt down.
“We are grateful to God that there was no casualty, and no property was lost,” he added.
The spokesperson for the Lagos Fire Service, Amodu Shakiri confirmed the incident to our correspondent.
“Our men are there and the the situation is under control as the peddler truck conveying AGO inward Ketu that went on flame has been extinguished.”
Source: PUNCH