Three people die in Enugu tanker fire

A fire from a tanker at the Ugwu Onyeama area of the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway has killed three people and destroyed property worth about N900 million.

Maxwell Ucheagwu, the Deputy Superintendent of Fire at the Federal Fire Service, confirmed this to reporters on Tuesday in Enugu.

Mr Ucheagwu said the fire started in the early hours of Monday, 22 June. It happened after a Dangote truck carrying bags of cement crashed into a tanker transporting Liquefied Natural Gas.

He mentioned that the Federal Fire Service in Enugu got an emergency call at around 3:28 a.m. and quickly sent firefighters and equipment to the scene.

"Preliminary investigation showed that brake failure on the Dangote truck caused it to smash into the LNG tanker, leading to damage and a leak of its contents," he explained.

Mr Ucheagwu reported that three people died in the fire, and several others were injured. They were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

He praised Nigerian soldiers at a nearby security checkpoint for acting quickly to rescue victims and help evacuate the injured to the hospital.

"The fire affected an area of about 200 by 100 square metres," Mr Ucheagwu said.

He added that firefighters managed to control the situation by cooling the leaking LNG tanker with two medium jets of water and foam from Fire Fighting Service vehicle FFS 126, with help from the Enugu State Fire Service vehicle ENSFS 010.

The deputy superintendent of fire noted that later checks confirmed there was no more leakage or risk of fire.

He said the incident caused property losses of about N900 million, but firefighters saved assets worth around N800 million thanks to their quick response.

Mr Ucheagwu stated that all firefighters and equipment returned safely to the station at about 6:38 a.m. after bringing the situation under control.