Residents of the Thinkers’ Corner area of the Enugu metropolis have expressed gratitude to God and the Enugu State Fire Service for the prompt response in preventing a potentially disastrous inferno at Hanscharis Petrol Station in their neighbourhood.

It was gathered that firefighters responded swiftly to the inferno, which occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, at Hanscharis Petrol Station, and stopped what would have been a major catastrophe in the area along the Enugu-Abakaliki Federal Road.

According to a witness, who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Friday, the fire originated from a fuel tank containing 13,000 litres of petrol.

He noted that the fire service, comprising dedicated personnel from Government House and Ogui Road Fire Stations, deployed three fire trucks with registration numbers ENSFS 001, ENSFS 007 and ENSFS 010.

Titus Madu, a resident of the area, said, “I called the Enugu State Fire Service, and they arrived within 10 minutes with their trucks fully loaded. 

“This rapid intervention played a crucial role in preventing the escalation of the fire and minimizing potential damages to the surrounding areas, especially our homes in this Thinkers’ Corner.”

Another resident, Johnson Obikwelu, expressed surprise over the timely intervention of the fire service men, especially with their equipment, as they had almost lost hope of getting a timely intervention.

The fire service director, Okwudiri Ohaa, said, “We received the report around 4:43 p.m. and were on the scene by 4:53 p.m.”

(NAN)