Fire Service Intervention Prevents Gas Explosion

The timely intervention of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) prevented a gas tanker from exploding at Akotsi Junction, near Budumburum in the Central Region last Thursday. The gas tanker, which contained 13,880 litres of gas, was heading to Assin Fosu in the Central Region when the driver realised that the tanker was leaking. The driver was said to have immediately called the fire service whose swift response prevented the gas from exploding. Confirming the incident to the Daily Graphic, the Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Mr Billy Anaglate, said firemen from the Budumburum Fire Station arrived at the scene within seven minutes of receiving the call around 2:54 p.m. last Thursday. He said within seven hours firemen reduced the temperature of the gas which was on the verge of exploding, with foam chemical. According to Mr Anaglate, the tanker, with registration number, GN9005-11, had loaded from Tema and was heading to Assin Fosu to offload when the driver noticed the leakage and parked to call the fire service. The incident, Mr Anaglate said, was caused by a fault in a component of the tanker. He said the remaining gas was salvaged and loaded into another tanker.