Illegal fuel marketer, wife killed in Plateau petrol explosion

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A couple has reportedly died in a petrol explosion in the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The couple was killed when fire erupted from the kitchen where one of the deceased, Mr Gideon Pam, hoarded petrol at their residence in Zawan community.

A neighbour, Miss Shantel Alphonsus, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday that Pam operated an illegal petrol business at Zawan junction.

“In the morning, he was called upon to get more supply from a fuel station, so he rushed back home to get some empty gallons to hoard scarce petrol. In a bid to empty some of the gallons that had fuel in them, suddenly, there was a fire outburst in the kitchen where the gallons were kept and Pam was trapped.

“His wife, Mercy, who had gone out earlier returned and saw smoke emitting from the house. She went into the house to save her husband, but was equally trapped in the inferno,’’ Alphonsus added.

According to her, the couple left a four-month-old baby who had earlier been taken away by Pam’s mother during a visit.

The Director of Plateau Fire Service, Mr Caleb Polit, confirmed the incident.