Three fuel tankers gutted in Nowshera oil depot fire

NOWSHERA: Three oil tankers reduced to ashes in a huge blaze erupted in an oil refinery depot in the Nowshera Industrial Estate in Amangarh area on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses said that three explosions occurred one after the other in Hascol Oil Refinery Depot in the Nowshera Industrial Estate at 2.15pm. They said that soon after the explosions, thick black smoke filled the air and panic gripped the industrial estate area.

The residents and workers, they added, came out of their houses and factories and started running to safer places. The Rescue 1122 teams, district administration and police along with five fire tenders rushed to the spot and started putting out the inferno.

Before the rescue operation, residents and workers from the houses and factories were evacuated, vehicular traffic and power supply to the Industrial Estate was suspended to save the area from further destruction.

Later, more firefighters were brought to the spot as the blaze was spreading fast to other factories. The teams later succeeded in extinguishing the fire after hectic efforts for several hours.

Deputy Commissioner Mir Raza Ozgan, Rescue 1122 District Officer Mir Alam Khan, District Police Officer Najmul Hasnain and other officials supervised the rescue operation. They said that 20 firefighters took part in the fire extinguishing operation and controlled the blaze after hard work for hours.