A tanker bearing 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called Petrol, has caught fire at Chab filling station by Umuatako, in  Aba, the Abia State capital, destroying property worth over 130million naira.

The state Chief Fire Officer, Arua Nnanna, described the incident as avoidable.

He said the service had warned fuel station owners to always discharge their products when the intensity of the sun’s heat is not high.

Nnanna suggested that while the tanker was offloading PMS, the weather was hot and the station did not have the necessary safety materials on hand.

Speaking in similar vein, the Commander of Abia State Fire Service, Aba Command, Belenta Belenta, said the intensity of the fire was beyond the capacity of the Aba command, hence the request for assistance from Umuahia.

Office equipment and products at the business centres within Umungasi Post Office were destroyed by the fire.

The state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, later visited the scene to assess the situation.