Calabar Tanks Farm explosion It was learnt that the fire which started as a spark from the lever of a truck that the conductor tried to free prior to offloading of the product, within seconds resulted in an inferno that spread to all parts of the fuel station.
Some residents told newsmen that they had put calls across to the state government, the fire service, and other relevant bodies to come to their aid, but without avail. A tricycle rider and eyewitness, Mr. Okon Udobong, said he was in the fuel station to refill his vehicle when he saw the truck conductor trying to turn the lever of the truck to let out fuel to the station. He added that as he manipulated the lever, there was a spark which later resulted in inferno. He added that while the conductor was being burnt in the inferno, the truck driver, fuel attendants and customers took to their heels. He noted that he too had to escape with his tricycle. “I went to the filling station to buy N200 fuel. As the attendant was selling the fuel for me, I saw a conductor trying to turn a lever from a truck to offload fuel. “There was a spark on the process; all the people that were around the station including the truck driver scurried for safety. The fire was not all that intense initially. If there were fire extinguisher either in the filling station or in the truck even Omo with water, people would have been able to put it out when it was just a spark. “When I saw the conductor on fire, I could not rescue him; I had to move my tricycle that was in the filling station away quickly. “I will appeal to government to mandate all trucks to have fire extinguishers as well as filling stations. They should also regulate the building of filling stations. They should not be erected near residences,” he said. A youth secretary of the community, Mr. Samuel Ukpe, blamed the government by approving the construction of a fuel station where people live.
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