Algiers survives a real catastrophe

A NAFTAL oil station survived a real disaster, as dozens of citizens who live near it survived the catastrophe, after services of the civil protection intervened to extinguish the fire, which gutted two trucks carrying gasoline, as four workers suffered serious injuries and were taken to the hospital.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident that left large panic among neighborhood residents, took place within Friday’s 11:30 am, as fire broke out in a truck for transporting fuel that was parked to fill the tank, and flames quickly spread to another truck that was prepared to get out from the station after its tank was filled, and then the sound of a violent explosion was heard and shook the whole region, resulting in smashing windows of the adjacent buildings, which includes 56 families, causing panic and fear among them, fire extends to the outside of the station until the intervention of the civil protection services which prevented a real disaster.

Residents of the neighborhood said that the flames reached a height of 50 meters, after the fire, which broke due to an electric ground in one of the trucks, before fire stretch to the second truck, which was full of oil, leading to the intervention of security services, which rushed to close the road fearing of dangerous consequences.

Head of the Prevention at Algiers Directorate of Civil Protection, Zoubir Mariche , said in a telephone conversation with “Echorouk” that his services intervened quickly to extinguish the fire and succored patients.

“Fire caused four injuries, including three citizens who suffered eloquent burns and were transferred to Douira hospital (Algiers), not to mention the burning of two trucks which were packed with more than 25000 liters of gasoline”.

General Manager of the Civil Protection, Moustafa Lahbiri, who was present at the scene gave orders to deploy all the human and material resources to extinguish the fire, noting that he ordered the allocation of 20 trucks and 120 civil protection agents to extinguish the fire and cool the region, a process which lasted 30 minutes, while the causes of the accident remain “unknown”, while security services opened an investigation to know the details.