Two people have died in a tanker fire at a filling station in the Orita Challenge area of Ibadan, Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The Oyo State Fire Services Agency confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.
The agency’s General Manager, Yemi Akinyinka, said the victims were the petrol tanker driver and his motor boy.
“We got information about the GABSTAB Mega Petrol Station, Orita Challenge, fire incident at 5:15 am and deployed our men immediately,” Akinyinka said.
“The driver and motor boy were burnt to death.”
According to him, a preliminary investigation showed that the tanker driver lost control due to a brake failure, causing the tanker to spill its contents and catch fire.
Akinyinka added that the swift response of the Oyo State fire service and some private fire services helped stop the fire from spreading to nearby houses.
However, the driver and his assistant could not escape and were burnt to death. Their remains were handed over to officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) at the scene.
The fire has been put out, and Akinyinka said more information about the incident would be shared later.
