VIDEO: Tankers containing ‘illegal’ diesel catch fire in Niger

March 21, 2022 9:00 pm

There was a fire outbreak at Javino, a community in Gauraka, Tafa LGA of Niger, on Monday.

According to NAN, residents said the inferno was caused by activities at a building in which diesel was stored illegally.

The owner of the fuel product was said to have stored diesel in tanks for sale to customers as “black market”.

The development comes amid a hike in the price of diesel in the country.

According to an eyewitness, at about 6:35am on Monday, the owner of the facility attempted to use a pumping machine to fill a keg, leading to the fire outbreak.

The fire was said to have consumed other tanks containing petrol and diesel, as well as a few shops in the neighbourhood and a building under construction.

After about 30 minutes, the Niger fire service arrived at the scene but ran out of water shortly afterwards.

A private organisation in the area, Empire Energy Limited, was alerted and arrived with its fire truck and helped quench the fire.

Linda Albert, a resident of the community, asked the government to ensure that the dealers of such goods are banned from operating in residential areas.

“Early this morning, we heard ‘fire’ and we came out. It was really a bad sight but we thank God that the fire is out,” Albert told NAN.

“The government should help us take these people away from here. This is a residential area and imagine if this fire incident started in the night; lives would have been lost.”

See video below.