Photo circulated on WhatsApp shows the fire at a petrol station at Jalan Brother Albinus in Sibu yesterday.
SIBU (July 28): Sibu Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) chief Janggan Muling has advised members of the public not to take safety regulations at petrol stations lightly.
Janggan said the safety regulations have been put in place to ensure the people’s safety and therefore, members of public must follow the safety regulations strictly.
“The attitude of taking the rules lightly can lead to incidents such as explosion and fire that can be hazardous to people in that particular area and its surrounding.
“Fire and explosion at a petrol station can happen due to three main factors namely petrol vapour, air and spark.
“Members of the public can avoid the third factor by eliminating the spark source,” he said when asked to comment on the fire at a petrol station at Jalan Brother Albinus here yesterday.
In the incident, a female employee at the station was injured after the underground tank caught fire at around 10.30am.
According to Janggan, a petrol tanker truck was refuelling petrol into the underground fuel tank prior to the incident.
“A van entered the petrol station before it passed by the truck and suddenly ignited the fire and the explosion,” he said.
He added the incident did not involve the petrol station structure and fuel pumps as the quick action by the petrol station staff had managed to extinguish the fire before Bomba arrived.
Meanwhile, Sibu police chief ACP Stanley Jonathan Ringgit said fuel station operators are responsible to ensure maximum level of safety at their premises.
This include putting control at the entrances and exits at their premises.
“They may close irrelevant entrances or exits so that motorists will not use them as a shortcut to avoid traffic congestion.
“The responsibility of complying with safety regulations should also be shared by members of the public to avoid any untoward incident,” he added.