
There was confusion in Osogbo the capital of Ousun State on Wednesday as two kids of the same mother were burnt to death when Bovas filling station went up in flames.
The filling station which was situated opposite Osogbo Grammar School in Osogbo was said to have gutted fire from unknown source, which claimed two lives.
It was gathered that the victims were children of the owner of the filling station. The mother of the burnt kids was also said to have suffered severe burns in the process of trying to rescue the kids. Although she was said to have succeeded in rescuing one but lost two other kids to the fire.
The remains of the kids were said to have been deposited at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology morgue, while their mother was also taken to the same hospital in Osogbo for treatment.
Some eyewitnesses said the woman and her three children were inside the mini market attached to the filling station when the fire started. The woman was said to have escaped with one of the kids but the other two kids were burnt alive.
One of the eyewitness said the two kids hid beside a refrigerator inside the supermarket, but they were thrown off balance when the fire gutted the refrigerator and the compressor exploded.
Another eye witness, Williams Ojo, said fire fighters arrived the scene late, saying that was why the fire was able cause so much damage.
The Director of Fire Service in the state, Mr. Michael Ogundipe, while speaking with journalists confirmed the deaths.
He said, “Two lives were lost in the fire. We have not detected the cause of the fire. We responded immediately we were called. We sent two vehicles. We have equipment but there was congestion on the road which slowed down their movement.
“We met the fire burning but I observed that the construction of the building did not follow the guideline. There was no exit route. No fire extinguisher was there. They would have been able to battle the fire if they had extinguishers.”
Fire fighters were still battling to put off the fire which also destroyed a Toyota Corolla as of the time of filing this report. Some sympathisers who spoke to our correspondent at the scene said the owner of the station was one of the most honest petroleum marketers in the state, saying she never sold beyond the government approved price of N87 per litre even at the height of fuel crisis.