How I lost a 30 million naira truck in the Ogun fire – Bizman

Businessman Mike Chuks said he lost a business truck worth N30 million naira in a fire at Obasanjo Trailer Park in Ogere, Remo-North Local Government Area of ​​Ogun State late Saturday night.

Chuks, in an interview with PUNCH Metro was at the scene of the fire on Sunday, said his truck was burned because no firefighters were available to contain the fire.

PUNCHOnline reported on Sunday that a tanker and several makeshift warehouses were destroyed in the fire.

Our correspondent, who was on site on Sunday, learned that the fire broke out at around 11 p.m. on Saturday.

The fire is said to have broken out in one of the shops and subsequently destroyed the truck that was being repaired in the park.

An eyewitness, who identified himself only as Musa, told our correspondent that the fire was brought under control through the joint efforts of the park’s residents.

He said: “The fire broke out around 11pm when we were already asleep. I heard a loud explosion and before we realised what was happening, a fire broke out.

“People in the area were using buckets to get water from the gutter to put out the fire because there were no firefighters nearby.”

Musa added that efforts to get the state fire service to fight the fire had been unsuccessful as there was no fire service in the area.

Chuks described his loss and explained that he had taken the truck to the park for a minor repair. Afterward, he received a call from one of his sons informing him of the incident.

He added that he was told the fire started in a nearby makeshift workshop near where his truck was parked.

“I lost my Aero 5 truck in the fire. I learnt that the fire had engulfed one of the workshops and spread to my truck. The truck is worth 30 million naira. Two trucks were affected but mine was the one that was completely burnt.

“This incident will affect my business. I don’t know what to say and I have put everything in God’s hands. I hope I get the help I need to cope with this loss.

“There were no firefighters on site to contain the fire, which could have prevented my truck from catching fire,” he said.

When contacted, the Ogun State Fire Service Director, Fatai Adefala, told our correspondent in a telephone conversation on Sunday that the fire service was informed of the incident and that firefighters had been dispatched to the scene.

However, he said further details were not yet available.

“I know they went there at the time, but I couldn’t get any more information because I’m downstairs.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Traffic Regulatory Agency, Babatunde Akinbiyi, in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, said that injured persons at the scene of the accident had been rushed to Victory Hospital in Ogere while the fire was brought under control through joint efforts of community members, TRACE and the police.

“According to an eyewitness, the injured were taken to Victory Hospital in Ogere by their family. TRACE operatives went to the hospital to confirm the number of injured and to condole with the injured but were told that the victims had already been discharged,” Akinbiyi added.