The gutted and burned ruins of a building in Seme-Podji, 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the capital Porto-Novo, and the charred remains of cars and motorcycles was all that could be seen in the aftermath of the fire in footage by Benin's public broadcaster.
A blaze ignited in a town near the Nigerian border at approximately 9:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) while unloading bags of petrol from a vehicle, as reported by the Beninese Ministry of the Interior and Public Security.