•Fayose joins in putting out inferno
From WOLE BALOGUN
About 20 houses, 30 offices and shops were burnt in Ado-Ekiti yesterday following a tanker that went up in flames at Strive Energy Filling Station, Old Garage area of the Ekiti State capital.
Governor Ayo Fayose joined fire fighters to put out the inferno that started at 4pm. He rushed to the scene after attending a thanksgiving service for his wife’s 53rd birthday at the Governor’s Office Chapel earlier in the day.
Just as those who lost properties in the fire were being restrained from jumping into their burning shops, some hoodlums were busy looting retrieved goods.
Daily Sun gathered that trouble started at about 4pm when a tanker delivering fuel at the station, began to emit thick smoke. A witness, who didn’t want his name in print, said the smoke billowed from the tanker for almost 20 minutes while the staff at the filling station didn’t pay much attention to it.
The fire eventually broke out when a driver, who was queuing for fuel, suddenly switched on the engine of his vehicle which sparked off a huge fire that ignited from the nearest pump in the station.
The ensuing inferno razed several buildings, the filling station, and other nearby offices and vehicles. It created a huge tension among the people. many whom wailed and cursed while watching the havoc being wreaked by the fire.
The fire spread to shops and offices on the other side of the road, razing anything in sight, shops belonging to people who sold clothing materials, provisions, electronics gadgets, phones and accessories, among others.
Hundreds of people wailed and cursed.
Some traders whose many shops were already razed griefed. some of them were being prevented from committing suicide by diving into the fire on seeing that their shops have been razed.