By Safiu Kehinde
Residents of Obanta/Oremerin area of Mile 12 on Thursday refused to be caught off guard as they resorted to self-help following a fire outbreak on the community’s transformer.
As seen in a circulated video, the fire incident which reportedly occurred earlier this afternoon saw the residents sprouting into action in an effort to quench the fire before the arrival of the firefighters.
According to an eyewitness who simply gave his name as Adewale Imoh, the transformer went ablaze shortly after the restoration of power.
“They brought light and suddenly, we just saw the transformer bringing out fire. Residents had to help the situation with soap, sand, and water as the firefighters didn’t come around on time,” he said.
Giving his account of the incident, another eyewitness, Kolawole, who was passing by when the incident occurred, expressed surprise over the presence of light as the transformer kept burning.
“We were passing by when we heard a huge sound. We saw people running towards the transformer and on getting there, it was already burning with lights still on. We were surprised that what kind of fire is this. And before we know it, the transformer started exploding,” he said.
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While confirming the late appearance of the firefighters, Kolawole revealed that the transformer might be not be replaced soon enough.
“They came late, but they had to do their own job too to make sure everything is in order. As you can see, I don’t think we will be able to have light in five, six months except if the government will intervene. With the situation of things, it’s only God that can intervene,” he added.
While no one could confirm the cause of the explosion, a resident, who declined to disclose his name said he suspected that an oil leakage noticed around the transformer yesterday could have been the cause of the fire.
“We noticed that the oil was leaking since yesterday with one man saying they heard a sound from the transformer yesterday night,” he revealed.