17th November, 2016
Property worth millions of naira was on Thursday gutted by fire in Egono Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo when a petrol tanker fell, spilling its content.
No life was lost in the accident.
It was gathered from eyewitnesses that an unmarked tanker spilled its contents into the building after the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle on the Benin-Auchi Highway.
Some residents at the scene described it as “terrible and unfortunate,” while others defied the inferno to scoop the products suspected to be kerosene.
The situation, however, took a different turn when a patrol team of policemen arrived at the scene and began to shoot into the air to scare them.
A witness, Mr Monday Iyalo said the tanker fell and burst into flames.
“The truck went up in flames when the police fired canisters into the spilled product which sent them scampering into safety. The building in front of the accident scene was not spared” .
A handful of those that thronged the place joined in the battle to put off the fire, while firefighters were still being expected to arrive to join them in containing the blaze.