Fire has razed some sections of a dumping site popularly called auto pond belonging to the FCT's Directorate of Road Traffic Service (DRTS) also known as VIO at Gosa village.

The incident, according to the head of the Recovery Unit of the pond, Adewumi Adeniran, affected about 225 seized unserviceable vehicles dumped at the pond.

The auto pond served as dumping site, where unclaimed impounded vehicles and motorcycles are kept.

Our reporter was informed that the fire mostly affected a section where seized unserviceable and scrap vehicles are dumped.

An eyewitness, Mustapha Musa, said the incident happened around 2:30pm last Thursday, after a loud explosion was heard from one of the vehicles at the pond. He said all attempts made by the policemen; private security guards and DRTS officers at the auto pond to put off the fire were unsuccessful.

He added that some distressed calls were made to the FCT Fire Service and they responded within 30 minutes of the incident with adequate fire equipment and eventually put off the fire.

The witness said the Fire Service's prompt response prevented the fire from spreading to other areas of the auto pond.

Adewumi Adeniran, Head, DRTS's Recovery Unit of the Pond, attributed the fire outbreak to the prevailing hot weather and the presence of inflammable contents within the vehicles.

"Apparently it was caused by an explosion from one of the vehicles parked for a long period at the pond. Attempt by the security and VIO operatives to stop the fire with an extinguisher proved inadequate as the inferno was worsened by dry grasses at the pond," he said.

When contacted, FCT DRTS's Director, Wilson Rotimi Alade, confirmed the fire outbreak and said that official request has been forwarded to the FCT Fire Service to assist in investigating and determining the remote and immediate cause of the outbreak with a view to forestall future occurrences.

"Residents should be rest assured that all recent impounded vehicles are kept in the premises of the directorate. Vehicles taken to the auto pond are the ones not claimed by their owners over a long period of time and/or are scraps," he said.