A fuel truck caught afire last evening at the Two Brothers Service Station at Eccles, East Bank Demerara triggering a spectacular blaze which firefighters managed to put out before it could engulf the area.
According to reports reaching Stabroek News, the fire started at around 7:15 last evening and up to press time,
officials were not clear on how it began. One truck was destroyed and a tanker damaged. There were no injuries.
Javed Ali, owner of the gas station told Stabroek News that he was at home when he received a call from the site supervisor. By the time he arrived, the conflagration had already been extinguished. He said that the driver of the destroyed truck was a regular customer at the service station who purchased on a weekly basis for an interior operation.
A source said that the driver of the ill-fated truck which was fuelling up at the time was smoking a cigarette and after finishing it he dropped the end on the ground. This was reported to have sparked the fire.
Fire Chief Marlon Gentle told this newspaper in a brief interview last evening that the fire service started to receive reports through emergency lines of a fire at the gas station. The closest station, which is the West Ruimveldt station responded.
“When they arrived on the scene they reported heavy flames from what appeared to be a tanker.” Gentle said. He added they also requested special support which came from the Central Fire Station in the form of a large water tender and a specialized water tender which carries both foam and water. Gentle added that there was an immediate shutdown of the pumping operation at the service station.
`A’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken told this newspaper that after receiving the call, immediate actions were taken which saved the service station. He said that in addition to dealing with the fire, the traffic was closed off, there was a shutdown of electricity in the area and the ambulance was on standby.
Officials said investigations of the fire is to begin soon to determine the cause of the fire. (Sharda Bacchus)
