Major fire disaster averted in Kwara community as tanker detaches from truck

Firefighters in Kwara State, on Thursday averted a major fire disaster at Olori town, along the new Jebba highway.

The incident occurred at about 09:08hrs, following a petrol tanker spill incident.

The accident involved a petroleum tanker with registration number OYO 45 AA, loaded with approximately 45,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and conveying the product from Lagos to Abuja.

According to information gathered at the scene, the tanker driver noticed a strange sound while on transit and immediately pulled over to inspect the vehicle. 

After checking and finding no obvious fault, he was about to resume his journey when the tank containing the PMS suddenly detached from the truck head, resulting in a potentially hazardous situation.

The incident occurred within a densely populated community surrounded by buildings, shops and vehicles, thereby presenting a significant risk of fire outbreak and possible loss of lives and property.

Upon arrival, the firefighters immediately commenced preventive firefighting operations by drenching the surrounding area and the PMS tanker with water to prevent any possibility of spontaneous ignition and further escalation.

The firefighters, however, successfully mitigated the immediate danger and maintained a standby operation at the scene until the PMS was safely syphoned into another empty tanker.

Chief Fire Officer of the state fire service, Alabi Muhammed, commended the professionalism and vigilance of the firefighters, emphasising that incidents involving petroleum products required immediate and coordinated intervention due to their highly flammable nature.

He further advised tanker operators and drivers transporting petroleum products to conduct thorough inspections of their vehicles before and during long-distance journeys, and to immediately alert emergency responders whenever any unusual sound, leakage, mechanical fault or other warning sign is observed.

He also urged communities and motorists to keep a safe distance from petroleum tanker incidents and avoid any activity that could generate sparks or flames around spilled petroleum products.