At least five trailers, with three of them laden with fuel, were involved in an accident in the wee hours of Wednesday in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The accident, which happened opposite the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Mega Filling Station along the Iwo-Road-Ojoo Expressway, created panic among residents of the area.
It happened a few minutes before 3am.
A trailer laden with fuel reportedly ran into another one, which was stationary, also bearing fuel.
The moving tanker fell on its side and exploded.
The fire quickly spread to the stationary one, also exploding.
Three others that were behind, with one of them also fully loaded with fuel, ran into the burning trailers and caught fire too.
The sound of the explosions woke up those living around the area.
The residents panicked the more as the fire was spreading towards the NNPC Mega Filling Station and another independently-owned filling station almost opposite NNPC.
However, the fire was prevented from spreading to the filling stations by the guards on duty and fire fighters, who arrived later.
A resident of the area, Adejobi Adegboyega, who spoke with The Eagle Online on telephone, said she had to flee the house with her family at about 3am.
Adegboyega, who said she woke up to make use of the loo when the first explosion was heard, told The Eagle Online that it was a miracle that the fire did not spread beyond the major road that leads to the Northern part of the country and Lagos.
The teacher said that luckily the fire did not spread to residential areas and mechanic workshops in the vicinity too.
She said: “The sound of the explosion was so loud that we knew there was going to be a major disaster if it was not contained on time.”
It could not be immediately ascretained if there was any casualty.
The Eagle Online will keep you updated on development from the accident scene.