A petroleum and cooking gas filling station located along the Bukuru Expressway, popularly known as Chill Cherry, was on Thursday morning engulfed by fire, triggering panic among residents and motorists in Jos, Plateau State.
The affected filling station is situated a few miles from the Jos South Local Government Secretariat, near the Gyero Roundabout.
As of the time of filing this report, the cause of the inferno had not yet been ascertained.
Eyewitnesses said there were no firefighters at the scene at the early stage of the incident, as staff of the filling station were seen making frantic efforts to contain the raging flames.
Customers and passers-by reportedly fled the area in fear for their lives, given that the station also operates a cooking gas outlet.
It was observed that the fire reportedly started around the major underground petroleum discharge tank, raising concerns over the potential scale of damage.
A passer-by, who simply identified himself as Maman, said, “We just saw the fire this morning.”
An officer of the federal fire service who did not want his name in Print confirmed the incident in a telephone chat with BusinessDay in Jos, he said fire firefighters were already on ground to deal with the situation. “Men of the Fire Service are on ground to handle the situation,” he stated.
BusinessDay reports that the prompt response by emergency responders underscores the growing synergy between federal and state fire service agencies in managing emergencies and safeguarding lives and property across the state.
