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Raymond Ozoji, Nnewi
More fire disasters were averted today at Omaba area of Onitsha and Agulu in Anaocha local government area of Anambra state following rapid response by the Anambra state fire service men.
According to the statement released by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police command, SP Haruna Mohammed, a truck fully loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol suffered a brake failure while trying to make a U-turn.
The statement further revealed that the Commissioner of Police Anambra State, CP John Abang, has visited the scene of the incident and that the state fire fighters were on ground to respond to emergencies in the event of any inferno.
“Meanwhile, another truck was brought to empty the content of the initial truck. The area is being cordoned off by the police to prevent casualties,” the statement added.
Also, a tanker conveying petroleum product in the early hours of Friday morning went up in flames at Chukwudi bus stop Omaba area of Onitsha burning 22 vehicles and damaging property worth millions of naira.
An eye witness account has it that the articulated vehicle collided with a truck and ignited fire thereby setting 3 Caterpillars, 3 cars and a truck loaded with planks on fire.
Confirming the fire incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command of the Nigeria Police SP Haruna Mohammed said that, “Today 18/10/2019 at about 03:26am, a trailer loaded with petroleum product at Omoba Area along Enugu-Onitsha Expressway, collided with a truck and ignited fire burning 3 Caterpillars, 3 cars and a truck laden with planks.”
He said the Police patrol teams led by the Area Command in Onitsha rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of the situation.
The PPRO said fire service men were contacted and they promptly responded, which led to the immediate extingusihing of the fire before it becomes intractable.
He further stated that the Commissioner of Police, CP John Bassey Abang, has ordered for a discreet investigation to ascertain circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Anambra state police spokesman said no life was lost in the accident and that the police had cleared every obstruction to enable free flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, newsmen gathered from people around the scene of the fire incident that over 22 vehicles parked in two mechanic workshops along Udodi street, Omaba phase 2 were burnt while 8 houses were also partly affected by the fire incident.
Governor Willie Obiano’s Executive Assistant on State Emergency Management Agency Hon. Emeka Obinwa who spoke on the fire incident at Omaba, said no casualties were recorded and that the state fire fighters responded promptly and controlled the inferno from further escalation.
Also, Air Vice Marshal Ben Chiobi, Special Adviser to Governor Willie Obiano on Creative Security who spoke to our correspondent on the Agulu incident, said fire service men were on hand to avert possible outbreak of fire while informing that the contents of the ill-fated tanker were transloaded to another truck amidst water-tight security.
Elsewhere at Nnewi, it was reported on the social media that a brothel caught fire today near Innoson Drive. Though the cause of the fire was not ascertained, efforts made to get the Police department to confirm the fire incident at Nnewi proved unsuccessful because the PPRO didn’t respond to several phone calls.
But the chief fire officer in Anambra Engr. Martin Onyedikachukwu Agbili said that the agency was not aware of the incident and that information on the fire incident at Nnewi came very late to the agency.
