Islamabad: At least 49 oil tankers, each carrying more than 50,000 litres of fuel, were gutted in a massive fire at the Tarujaba oil depot in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Flames and plumes of black smoke were visible miles away from the oil depot fire on Saturday. Rescue 1122 firefighters extinguished it after battling the massive blaze for nearly 12 hours. More than 150 firefighters and 25 firefighting vehicles were involved in the rescue operation during the worst heatwave and month of Ramadan. Fire engines from the nearby districts of Nowshera, Charsadda and Mardan were also called to tackle the blaze, officials said. The fire apparently broke out due to short-circuit at one of the vehicles parked in the area.
Two people with burn injuries were shifted to Peshawar hospital for treatment. At least 49 oil tankers were gutted and the estimated loss of fuel was up to Rs1.5 billion ($8 million), Sarhad Petroleum and Cartage Dealers Association provincial chairman Abdul Majid Khan told local media. The price of each tanker is believed to be around Rs30 million ($161,000).
The fuel dealers have expressed fears that the fire incident at the Tarujaba oil depot may lead to a temporary shortage of fuel in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, especially during Eid holiday week when there would be no supply from Karachi to Peshawar.
