An Optimal Filling Station located on Aule Road in Akure, the Ondo State Capital caught fire on Monday.
The fire, which destroyed the administrative block of the filling station and dispensing pumps, was put out by some fire service personnel.
Speaking on the fire, the Public Relations Officer of the Federal Fire Service in the state, Mr. Ayodele Ajulo, attributed it to the heat in the underground tank.
Ajulo advised filling stations operators to be extremely careful while offloading fuel from tankers into their underground tanks, especially during this period of extreme heat.
” We always tell people to be extremely cautious during this period. The hot weather makes it easy for fire to erupt from anything inflammable.
“It is important for people, especially filling station operators, to take all necessary precautions and also have enough fire extinguishers around in case of any emergency,” he said.
He commended the concerned residents that cooperated with fire fighters to quench the inferno, thanking God that no life was lost.
Also, Mr Abiodun Adelekun, a resident in the area, said that some youths in the araea had to come out en masse to ensure that the fire was put out to prevent it from spreading to other buildings within the vicinity.
“The fire started when the tanker was offloading its content into the underground tanks. All we heard was a bang and we saw fire everywhere coming out of the tanker.
“We came out to assist the fire fighters to save our houses,” he said.
He urged the state government to discourage having petrol stations in clustered areas, adding that it was not the best.
“If not for the fire service today and the support of youths from this area, the fire would have escalated beyond control,” he said.
An elder who has a shop beside the filling station, Mr. Asabari Elelubo, said the loud noise he heard when the fire started sent shivers down his spine.
“When I heard the loud noise, I nearly fainted. I had to first run to safety. The panic from the fire which caught my shop seven months ago is still in me and it made this more frightening.
“I am glad the fire service and the youth were able to contain it before it extended to surrounding houses,” he said.
