A midnight blaze on Tuesday razed the RSK Adebowale Multipurpose Filling Station in the Ofiki neighbourhood of Saki, Oyo State, destroying a petrol-laden tanker, a motorcycle and multiple fuel pumps.
Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Services Agency, Moroof Akinwande, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to him, firefighters swung into action after receiving a distress call from Alhaji Mufutau Badmus, Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Saki.
Akinwande disclosed that the response team, led by Kolade Taiwo, arrived at the facility to find the station engulfed in flames, including a DAF tanker reportedly carrying 50,000 litres of petrol and three dispensing pumps.
He said the fire crew battled the inferno and eventually brought it under control, stopping it from advancing to adjoining homes and businesses.
The agency chief commended personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps stationed in Ofiki for securing the location and supporting emergency operations.
Akinwande urged filling station operators to maintain strict compliance with fire prevention protocols to avoid recurring disasters.
Tuesday’s incident came barely a week after a similar outbreak destroyed property worth millions of naira at a filling station in Kara, Kishi, Irepo Local Government Area, where three vehicles and a community power house were lost to flames triggered by an explosion.
Residents of Saki have appealed to the state government for increased fire response coverage as dry-season hazards intensify across rural communities