A fire tender responding to a fire emergency following a crash broke down a few metres to the accident scene.

The incident which occurred at Kabampe in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, left the driver of the cargo truck which caught fire after the crash, and the fire officers distressed and disappointed as they watched the blaze consume the truck.

The cargo truck was carrying 260 bags of shea nuts from Wa in the Upper West Region and was heading towards Tamale.

A visibly worried West Gonja Municipal Deputy Fire Officer, Andrew Kofi Nimot, in an exclusive interview with MyJoyOnline, blamed their mishap on the poor nature of the road and the lack of routine servicing.

He said the vehicle had not been serviced for the past seven years.

"This car has been here (Municipal command) for almost seven years without servicing. And we have been following the authorities to help service this car. Now, here we are with an emergency case, we are standing watching the scene but the vehicle is faulty, parked here."

"It's a mechanical fault because it was jetting before the warning came and if it happens like that, it means we have to stop. Because if you proceed, anything can happen," Andrew Kofi Nimo, explained.

He said the vehicle is an electronic machine and thus whenever it shows the signal, the driver must comply with it to save lives and properties.

The driver of the truck, Rashid Abdulai said the truck burst a tyre while two other tyres also unhinged, forcing him to park. A polythene sheet they used to cover the shea nuts also caught fire.

"We tried our best to put off the fire but failed. We called them (GNFS) early but their car is the one parked there. It's spoiled," he said.