Fire razes Borno mechanical workshop, destroys buses

A fire outbreak on Monday razed the Borno State Mechanical Workshop, destroying over 10 18-seater buses worth millions of naira. Witnesses said the fire started around noon on Monday, following a loud explosion in the workshop premises. Although no lives were lost in the incident, one fire service personnel sustained injuries while battling the flames. […]

A fire outbreak on Monday razed the Borno State Mechanical Workshop, destroying over 10 18-seater buses worth millions of naira.

Witnesses said the fire started around noon on Monday, following a loud explosion in the workshop premises.

Although no lives were lost in the incident, one fire service personnel sustained injuries while battling the flames.

“The fire was triggered by a gas explosion – a deafening blast that sent staff and commuters in the area fleeing for safety,” a witness said.

“It was the swift response of the fire service that prevented further damage. They arrived quickly and managed to bring the blaze under control,” he added.

The Borno State Commissioner for Transport and Energy, Aliyu Buba Bamanga, visited the scene but declined to comment.

“We are expecting His Excellency, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, shortly. I wouldn’t want to preempt any official statement from him,” the commissioner said.

A staff of the workshop told Daily Trust that the affected vehicles were mostly 18-seater buses undergoing routine servicing, with a few for major repairs.

“We are fortunate that the electric vehicle charging station nearby was untouched. If the fire had reached there, the damage would have been far worse,” he said.

The mechanical workshop, operated by the Borno Express Transport Corporation, is responsible for the maintenance of the state’s mass transit fleet.

The incident happened just a day after another fire razed thousands of thatched houses in four communities in Alau, Borno State.

The fire claimed two lives and destroyed property.