Benoni, Ekurhuleni – A welding mishap at a fuel truck company in Hillcrest, Benoni, sparked a massive fire, engulfing three petrol tankers in flames on Sunday.
Two articulated trucks and a rigid truck caught fire, including one fully loaded with 40,000 litres of petrol in its main trailer and an additional 15,000 litres in a pup trailer. The second articulated truck had an empty trailer but posed a significant explosion risk due to residual fuel vapors. The rigid truck, also involved in the blaze, was carrying 15,000 litres of petrol.
The City of Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) firefighters responded swiftly, preventing what could have been a catastrophic explosion. Using foam as an extinguishing agent, they contained the fire within two hours, despite the presence of several fuel-laden trucks and storage tanks in the yard, which heightened the risk to surrounding businesses.
No casualties were reported. Preliminary investigations indicate that sparks from welding work ignited the fire, spreading rapidly to nearby trucks.
Twenty firefighters from four fire stations worked together to battle the flames, deploying four fire engines to the scene. Fire safety officials are currently investigating the incident.
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