A truck conveying bags of rice was engulfed by fire while in motion at Sekona area along Ogbomoso-Oyo Road in Oyo State, causing panic among motorists and residents in the area.
The incident forced other road users to slow down as thick smoke billowed from the burning vehicle.
Witnesses said the driver quickly pulled over after noticing flames emanating from the truck, preventing what could have resulted in a more serious disaster on the busy road.
Sources at the scene said the fire rapidly spread consuming a large portion of the rice loaded in the vehicle before emergency responders arrived.
Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, who confirmed the incident, said personnel of the agency were immediately mobilised to the scene to contain the inferno and prevent it from spreading to nearby vehicles or structures.
According to him, firefighters acted swiftly to bring the situation under control upon arrival.
He said: “Upon arrival at the scene, our officers met a truck loaded with bags of rice that had swerved off the road and caught fire.
Our men promptly began firefighting operations and were able to curtail the spread of the fire. Efforts were made to ensure that the inferno did not escalate further or endanger other road users.”
Although the cause of the fire are yet to be established at press time, preliminary findings suggested that mechanical fault or overheating from the vehicle might have triggered the blaze.
No casualties were recorded in the incident, but a significant portion of the rice consignment was destroyed in the fire.
In a related development, property worth millions of naira were destroyed in another fire incident that affected parts of a private school in Oyo town.
The incident occurred at one school located in the Awumonro area of the town.
Sources within the community said the fire broke out in one of the sections of the school premises and spread to adjoining parts before it was eventually brought under control.
Although details surrounding the cause of the school fire were still sketchy at press time, it was gathered that several items and facilities within the affected section of the school were damaged by the blaze.
Emergency responders and residents reportedly worked together to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings within the school compound.
