A petrol-laden tanker exploded on Thursday night while discharging its contents at the AYM Shafa filling station in Garki Area III, Abuja, triggering a major fire that spread to nearby buildings.

Eyewitnesses said the explosion occurred at the point where the tanker was dispensing petrol into the station's storage tanks, engulfing the filling station in flames and causing panic among residents and motorists in the area.

The fire reportedly affected one of the buildings belonging to the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), located close to the filling station.

"The tanker exploded while discharging petrol into the filling station. The fire spread very fast and has affected nearby buildings," a witness said.

Confirming the incident to Daily Trust last night, the Chief Superintendent of Fire with the FCT Fire Service, Ibrahim Muhammad Tauhid, said firefighters had been deployed to the scene to bring the situation under control.

"Our men are on the ground fighting the fire. It is a serious incident, and some of the surrounding buildings have been affected," he said.

Tauhid also disclosed that a number of people were affected by the incident but said it was too early to confirm the number of casualties or the extent of injuries.

As of the time of filing this report, emergency responders were still battling to extinguish the fire.