There was panic at St. Matthias Catholic Church, Agulu, located along Agulu Lake-Golden Tulip Hotel Road, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, as a fully loaded lorry crashed into the building and immediately caught fire.
It was gathered that the incident, which occurred late on Wednesday, caused gridlock where rescue efforts were being made to quench the fire from escalating.
One of the eyewitnesses at the scene, who gave his name simply as Uzor, told our correspondent that the lorry was on full speed when it veered across the road and crashed the fence of a building, thereby igniting fire.
Although no life was lost and no one was injured, the driver of the truck escaped from the scene immediately after the crash.
“The lorry was on full speed and veered off the sloppy road, thereby crashing into the church building and immediately igniting fire. There was no casualty as some people who initially gathered around the vicinity had already dispersed before the incident occurred.
“But the incident caused panic and gridlock as first responders made rescue efforts to quench the fire before the arrival of the fire service. This caused gridlock as motorists had to slow down because of the fire,” the witness said.
When contacted on Thursday, the Media and Publicity Unit of the Anambra State Fire Service, led by Chukwudi Chiketa, confirmed the development.
Chiketa attributed the accident to speeding and loss of control.
Chiketa said, “A fire incident occurred yesterday, at St. Matthias Catholic Church, Agulu, located along Agulu Lake–Golden Tulip Hotel Road, following a road accident involving a heavy-duty lorry.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the lorry lost control, veered off the road, and crashed into the church premises, subsequently igniting a fire outbreak.
“A crew of Firemen from the Anambra State Fire Service responded promptly to the distress call and successfully brought the situation under control.
“The team effectively contained the fire and prevented further escalation. Operations at the scene have been concluded, and Firemen safely withdrew to the station.”
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