Two people lost their lives in a tanker fire that broke out at a filling station in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, Oluyole Local Government Area, Oyo State.
The Oyo State Fire Services Agency confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency’s General Manager, Yemi Akinyinka, disclosed that the victims were the driver of the petrol tanker and his motor boy.
Akinyinka added that fire service personnel were promptly dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call about the fire at 5:15 am.
“We got information about the GABSTAB Mega Petrol Station, Orita Challenge, fire incident at 5:15 am and deployed our men immediately,” he said.
“The driver and motor boy were burnt to death.”
Preliminary investigation indicated that the tanker driver lost control as a result of a brake failure which resulted in the tanker spilling its content, thereby catching fire in the process.
Akinyinka added that the timely intervention of men of the Oyo State fire service and other private fire services helped put out the fire before it escalated into full-blown disaster in the residential area.
The Fire Service chief stated that the driver and the boy were not so lucky as they were burnt to death with the remains handed over to the officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the scene.
He stated that the fire had been controlled, and more details about the incident would later be provided.