Kazeem Ugbodaga

File Photo: a tanker fire in Lagos

An early morning tanker fire has claimed the life of one  person trying to steal the spilled  fuel and burnt three trucks at Oshodi area of Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The incident occurred around 1:45am on Tuesday near NAFDAC office, Oshodi.

A fuel tanker loaded with 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, fell at a bend behind NAFDAC in Oshodi, spilling its content on the road. An oncoming trailer, sensing danger stopped. The driver of a  smaller truck thinking that the trailer was stationary tried to bypass it, only for a spark from the vehicle’s silencer, igniting fire.

General Manager, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Michael Akindele said this morning that the spark from the smaller truck’s silencer ignited the fire.

He said the fire occurred around 1:45am and that a man trying to scoop fuel from the spillage was burnt to death, while the drivers of the three vehicles escaped unhurt.

Akindele said the three trucks were burnt by the fire but that the efforts of LASEMA officials, fire service men prevented the fire from spreading and doing more damage.

He said his men, LASTMA officials and others were still on ground trying to remove the burnt vehicles from the highway.

Akindele warned Lagosians to be careful of scooping fuel whenever a tanker spilled its content as they would never know when it would result into fire, lamenting that the life lost could have been prevented if the man had not attempted to scoop fuel from the spillage.