1 Dead, 5 Houses Burnt In Kano Illegal Refinery Fire

 

One person has been confirmed dead in an inferno which occurred at an illegal local refinery at Katango area of Wailari in Kano State. The scene is located on Ring Road/Bypass, opposite Maryam Shekarau Estate in Kano.

The fire which started around 09:50am also burned down five residential houses. It took three hours for the men of the Kano State Fire Service, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and firefighters from Salbas Petrol Station to bring the inferno under control.

The victim, identified as one Aminu, was burned beyond recognition. His charred body was recovered from the debris of the illegal refinery by the fire workers.

An eyewitness and an official of the Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO), Ahmad Umar Gaya, said he was on duty along the road when he heard an explosion only to look around and see fire gutting the location.

He said, "I immediately called the attention of the Kano Fire Service and directed them to the location.

"The place, which is located in the midst of residential houses at Katango in Wailari, is used to stock scraps of trucks and trailers and also to refine used engine oil for other purposes.

"No one can tell what exactly happened that led to the explosion. The trailer carrying drums of the used engine oil was gutted by the fire in which the driver was trapped and burned beyond recognition.

"Close to the location were residential houses with women and children and about five houses were gutted by the inferno. However, it is not clear whether there is any death or injury as a result as people were rescued through humanitarian efforts.

"An old lady who could not walk was rescued from one of the houses and two kids were also rescued from another house when their mother ran out and left them inside, all through humanitarian efforts by onlookers. The fire incident took about three hours to put out," he said.

The remains of the victim were handed over to the police at the location of the incident.