A huge cloud of thick, black smoke billowed into the morning sky from the scene of a fire along the Gulu-Kampala Road on Friday.

A fuel tanker was being annihilated after catching fire on the route.

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out at around 8:30 am after the vehicle tipped over in Myene sub-county, Oyam district.

Grainy footage captured by an onlooker not far from the scene showed the vehicle engulfed in the fierce blaze in the middle of the paved road.

Clouds of dark smoke swelled into the sky as the tanker got swallowed by the fire, with no immediate attempts to snuff it evident. Police said firefighters were later deployed to attempt to extinguish the blaze.

The tanker was said to have been loaded with petrol, although this could not be immediately verified.

What is known is that it was coming from the direction of Kamdini town council and heading towards Gulu.

The scene of the blaze is within a place called Otwee, which is not far from Amwa trading centre.

Eyewitness Kenneth Olwa told New Vision that the vehicle lost control, overturned and immediately caught fire.

He said the two people onboard, including the driver, managed to climb out of the tanker just in time to escape imminent death. They sustained injuries though.

One got burnt in his lower back while the other broke his left leg. They were taken to Atapara Hospital in Oyam district for treatment.

Jimmy Patrick Okema, the North Kyoga region Police spokesperson, confirmed the incident.

He said the Police fire rescue brigade rushed to the scene to put out the fire.