by Adeola Balogun

A fuel-related inferno has led to the deaths of three people  in Katsina State after vehicles transporting the product caught fire.

Four other persons were said to have been injured in the blaze which occurred at Gyazama village, along  Funtua-Birnin Gwari road in the Dandume Local Government Area of the state.

The development was disclosed by the Local Government Transition Committee Chairman, Abdulkadir Muhammad.

The Nation reports:

 He said six houses were also burnt in the resultant inferno which occurred on Saturday evening.

 NAN reports that the blaze started when some drivers were transferring fuel from a broken-down vehicle to another through the use of a pumping machine.

 Muhammad said two of the deceased were the operators of the pumping machine, while those who sustained burns were receiving treatment at Funtua General Hospital.

 He added that the houses were burnt because of the fuel which spilled from the scene of the incident.

 Muhammad, who was an eye-witness, explained that the fire could not be contained by the Dandume council’s firemen, adding that it took the intervention of nearby firemen from Faskari, Funtua and Dandume local government areas to put it off.

 He said the fire lasted up to Sunday morning, adding that he attended the burial of the deceased, while paying condolence visits to the victims’ families.

 Muhammad warned people in the area against illegal parking of vehicles, poor handling of flammable fuels as well as inappropriate use of pumping machines.