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After hearing a loud explosion that rattled her partially board house, Mitzie, a resident of Callaloo Bed, St Andrew, was convinced that either her house was being firebombed, or the 'roll was being called up yonder.'

Not sticking around to find out, she grabbed her five-year-old daughter's hand and dashed through the door. Shortly after, she said she heard another explosion and saw a huge ball of fire coming from the back of a tanker on Spanish Town Road.

"Mi frighten so till. One a di time mi all a wonder if a Judgement Day. The place shake bad and next thing the transformer burst and mi poor daughter start get summen like a panic attack because she no understand what a gwan. It look like she a struggle to breathe and mi have to calm her down," said Mitzie.

"The fire just a rage like bull. Mi never see anything like dis. When mi see the truck [on fire] mi feel like mi ago wet mi self because mi did a wonder if people in there. The other driver dem look like dem a panic too so dem start drive back way cuz dem no way deh too near. A big summen man," she added.

Leroy Orr, acting commissioner of the Jamaica Fire Brigade said about noon yesterday, firefighters received a call that a tanker was on fire on the roadway.

"We responded with units from Trench Town, Half-Way Tree and York Park. When we got on the scene, we saw the tanker on fire and we were able to contain and eventually extinguish the fire. There is also a warehouse at the entrance of Agro World Farm Store that caught fire as well. We have not established the source of the fire but an investigation will be done. There are chemicals on the compound but investigations will confirm what the chemicals are. No civilians were injured but a firefighter got minor injuries which we will be taking care of, " he said.

The acrid smell of chemicals permeated the air, causing residents at the entrance of Callaloo Bed and Riverton Meadows to temporarily flee their dwellings. Among them was Rojanna Wallace.

"Mi wah go home but mi can't manage the smell and the smoke. It and the explosions run me out the house. I live right in front of IGL [Limited]. The tanker caught fire and it was there for a couple minutes burning then it just explode. Next thing we know the Agro place was on fire as well. It wasn't a pleasant sight, it was frightening and persons were running and screaming, " she said. At least two utility poles were destroyed in the fire. As firefighters battled the angry blaze, several men were seen grabbing copper wires, some of which were still ablaze. Others were seen lingering around the burning site, their eyes focused on a police team that was on location.

The news team tried to get a comment from one of the directors at Agro Farm but the individual stated that he was unable to provide a statement at the time. The incident caused a massive build-up of traffic for hours along Spanish Town Road and Washington Boulevard.