A burnt car at the gas station
Four people were transported to hospital with severe injuries after an explosion at the Trinity Oil/Prime Gas Station at Krofrom in the Tafo Municipality of the Ashanti Region early yesterday.
The explosion also destroyed more than 20 vehicles, shops and trapped school children at the Grace Ebenezer Crèche Centre, which is adjacent to the gas station.
The cars were parked at the gas station and nearby mechanic shop.
Eyewitnesses told DAILY GUIDE at the scene that two attendants of the station, a motorbike rider and mechanic were taken to hospital with severe burns.
Kelvin Owusu Ansah, one of the eyewitnesses, said all the pre-school children were safely evacuated from the school compound by teachers and residents of the area who rushed to the place.
According to him, the motorbike rider was hit by a fireball from the explosion, as he rode pass the gas filling station, while the attendants and auto mechanic were caught up in the flames.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that fire and emergency services were called to the area shortly after 7:30 am to deal with the situation.
The residents alleged that the gas station had experienced leakage for three consecutive days.
The Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Kwabena Nsenkyire, who was at the scene with his team, said the timely intervention by fire officers prevented the fire from spreading to nearby houses, the school and temple of the Jehovah Witness.
He wondered why building permits were issued to people to build school and residential accommodation close to a gas station, if indeed the station was sited earlier as claimed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“We (referring to himself, the Regional Minister and other stakeholders) were here about eight months ago to close the station. There has been an explosion before this one, but the EPA says all the residential accommodations came to meet the gas station,” he added.
He asked the EPA to explain their regulations to the residents and general public to prevent others from putting up fuel stations in residential areas or vice-versa.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi