Another tanker exploded on Saturday at the Lead City University road, near the Ibadan Toll Gate end of the expressway, destroying properties worth millions of Naira, including vehicles and shops.
The incident at 2:45 p.m. had thrown owners of the affected shops into bankruptcy, even as the fire razed several cars and motorcycles parked along the road.
It was gathered that the truck driver and his motor boy narrowly escaped death.
Men of the Oyo State Fire Service, supported by the Federal Fire Service, were on the ground to control the situation.
The owner of one of the affected shops, who spoke anonymously, disclosed, “I just heard a loud bang from outside. Initially, I mistook it for gunshots. Before I realised what was happening, the atmosphere had already been enveloped in thick smoke.
“Calls were placed to the Fire Service, but the damage had already been done before they arrived. I have lost everything to the inferno. I don’t know where to begin again.”
Some sympathisers attributed the incident to the diversion caused by the ongoing road rehabilitation in the area.
According to them, the truck driver would not have used the access road without the ongoing roadwork.
“As you can see, this road is riddled with potholes, which made it difficult for the truck to navigate. The car fell on its side and exploded as the driver tried to manoeuvre through a bad portion of the road.
“We thank God that no lives were lost, but the properties destroyed in the incident are unquantifiable,” a witness said.
The general manager of the Oyo State Fire Service, Akinyemi Akinyinka, confirmed the incident, saying his men were on the ground at the scene.
Meanwhile, security operatives have been strategically deployed in the area to prevent a breakdown of law and order by the affected shop owners.
The fire service has also managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other shops.
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