Bushfire blows fuel tanker to pieces

By Vien Obote in Lira

A diesel tanker belonging to a Kenyan businessman was Friday evening burnt to ashes by a wild bush fire along Lira-Kampala highway.

The tanker, on its way to Juba in Southern Sudan from the Kenyan town of Eldoret, lost control and overturned at Agulurude in Loro sub-county in Oyam district.

The accident happened in a wetland which made it very difficult for other vehicles to have enough grip to pull it out, the police said.

The driver of the tanker registration KAL 338G, Hassan Ali said they took long at the scene of the accident because many heavy trucks which could have rescued them feared to get stuck.

Another tanker registration KLA 319V was also trapped in an attempt to pull the blown tanker.

According to the Officer-in-Charge of Kamdini police station in Oyam, George Willie Ocola, the fire which burnt the tanker, came from the northern direction at around 1pm when the driver and three other people in the travelling party were present.

He observed that no one could have been prepared for such an incident.

“It happened when the police was not at the scene and no one would expect this kind of fire”, Ocola said.

This incident happened at a time when most leaders in Lango are advocating against bush burning.

This is the second time in less than a month that fire destroys a vehicle. The first happened last Sunday nightat Kitgum stage in Lira town.