Update: Two Die, Nmillions Are Lost In Moniya Fire Disaster

By Akinwale Kasali

Two people lost their lives in a fire outbreak at the popular Moniya Market, Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State Capital. Also gone in the tongues of fire are shops and vehicles which cost have been put at hundreds of millions of Naira.

The fire was started when a tanker ladened with diesel fell around the Moniya area of Ibadan and burst into flames.

The incident forced traders, commuters and residents of the area to scamper to safety as the inferno continued to increase in intensity,  destroying  everything on its way.

Men of the Oyo State Fire Service arrived the scene to curtail the spread of the fire even as traders and sympathizers battled to, also,  put out the fire.

An eyewitnesses, Tunde Adedayo, said that officials of the State Fire Service arrived at the scene about 35 minutes after the fire started, stressing that immediately the tanker laden truck fell off,  there was a loud blast, which was followed immediately by a huge ball of fire with  thick cloud of smoke while the fire kept razing every item on its path.

“The diesel tanker had skidded and people started running up and down. There was confusion everywhere and people were crying for help.

“No one could move near the fire and everybody was running  for safety,’’ Adedayo said.

Another account by another eyewitness revealed that the tanker conveying diesel lost control while descending the slope beside a filling station at Moniya, crashing  into a vehicle travelling to Ogbomoso.

It was gathered that several shops, cars, motorcycles, excavator, including the motor park close to Akinyele Local Government Area headquarters were destroyed by the inferno.

Adewuyi Moshood, the Chief Fire Officer in Oyo State Fire Service, disclosed that his men arrived at the scene in good time considering the distance they covered to get to the spot of the incident.

“The fire started when a fully laden tanker conveying diesel lost control while descending the slope beside a filling station at Moniya.

“The brake failed and the vehicle crashed on a vehicle going to Ogbomoso.

“One passenger, who was trapped in the vehicle got burnt, One other life was also lost but we are yet to determine the number of casualties in the incident,’’ Moshood said.