Fire Fighters Avert Disaster In Owerri …Save Filling Station

What could have been a major fire disaster at a filling station of Boni Mas Petroleum  in Orji, a suburb of Owerri, has been Friday averted by the prompt response of firemen and NEMA officials.
An eyewitness told newsmen in Owerri that the accident occurred when a tanker, laden with petrol, was about to discharge and suddenly there was an explosion and the tanker went up in flames. Although no life was lost, the heat from the flames melted water tanks mounted at a residential building very close to the petroleum station before the fire was put out by men of Imo State Fire Service.
The source, who preferred not to be named, said that the front view of a three storey building,  close to the filling station, was partly affected.
The Director Imo State Fire Service, Mr Japhet Okorafor told Journalists at the scene that but for the timely intervention of his men, the damage would have been more.
He said fire fighters arrived at the scene in time immediately an alert was received around 10.00 a.m.
According to him, in spite of obvious challenges of inadequate equipment, “we were able to combat the fire and stopped it from spreading to more locations”.
Okoroafor said that the preliminary investigations conducted by his men revealed that the fire started when the tanker hit a metal in the station as it was parking to discharge. He commended the cooperation from the public and other security agencies around which according to him, helped in the rescue operation. The Coordinator National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Imo/Abia office, Mr Evans Ugo, described the incident as ‘terrific’ and thanked God that no life was lost.
“My major concern was how possible such a filling station was sited very close to residential houses, rather than at a lonely area as the law provided.
“ I feel relevant state and federal agencies should be up and doing in ensuring that petroleum stations are properly sited where the impact of fire disaster would not be much on the populace,’’ he said.