A gas tanker driver and his conductor have been rushed to the hospital after the tanker caught fire at Sokoban Ampayoo within the Kumasi Metropolis.
The vehicle loaded with 55,500 litres of gas reportedly fell on its side before bursting into flames on Thursday, February 9.
The driver was negotiating a curve when he lost control of the steering, and the vehicle overturned onto the shoulder of the road.
Sensing danger, the driver signalled residents approaching the scene to flee from the area.
The Assembly Member of the area, Kojo Boateng, says the driver got stuck in the seat but was helped to move out to receive treatment at a nearby hospital.
According to the Ghana National Fire Service Public Relations officer in the Ashanti region, DO3 Peter Addai, who spoke on the incident, “At 10:35 am this morning, we had a distress call reporting a fire at Sokoban Ampayoo. So we quickly responded, and when we got to the scene, a gas tanker was lying on its side and was on fire.
“We had to mobilize three more tenders to join the one on the ground making four in number to manage the situation,” he said.
It took firefighters hours to completely douse the fire.
However, they managed to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.
Meanwhile, no casualties were reported besides the driver and his conductor, who sustained injuries.