Fire ravages parts of Kantamanto market in Accra’s central business district.
According to eyewitnesses account, the fire which reportedly started around 10pm yesterday went out of control about 20mins after. It was then residents reached out to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for help. The GNFS reportedly got to the scene around 11pm.
Personnel from the Service are still at the scene as they are working around the clock to douse the fire.
The firefighters have been able to stop the fire from catching onto other parts of the market as goods worth millions of Ghana cedis have already been destroyed as its owners looked on helplessly.
It’s still unclear the cause of the fire as there hasn’t been any comment from the Ghana National Fire Service on the matter.
A similar incident occurred about a month ago in the same enclave as fire gutted a number of offices which included the Ghana Commercial Bank branch at the location.
Yesterday, there was another fire outbreak in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua.
Per reports gathered, the fire destroyed about eight shops near the Metro Mass Bus terminal at the Koforidua Central Business District.
The fire which started in the mornings of Tuesday, December 15, 2020 destroyed items including pieces of jewelry, soaps, plastic materials, second-hand clothing, and toiletries, among others.
Also the cause of the fire is unknown but some affected shop owners asserts that it was an electrical glitch.
Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO1), Ignatius Kwamena Baidoo, the Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) told the media that further investigations are underway to know the actual cause of the fire.
Still on market fires, on November 18, 2020, there was another outbreak reported at the Odawna market at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
Hundreds of shops got burnt to ashes in this outbreak leaving owners heartbroken.
An eyewitness gave an account of the incident saying “around 10:30 to 11 pm I was moving from the VIP Station heading to the market when I saw smoke. It was from a small fire. We started to put it out with water that we could find before rushing to call the fire service.
“The team rushed over with a vehicle and asked for the entrance to be cleared but the women insisted that they will move the items alone. When we finally had access to the market, we decided to remove all the cylinders from the stores close to the fire to prevent an explosion but again the women refused.
“They accused us of trying to steal their stuff and locked up the market again.
“Within seconds, a cylinder exploded and caused the fire to spread. The Fire Service tried to put it out but it was difficult because of the cylinders and the types of items lying around. The fire service came back with about 10 cars but the fire is still burning.”
The Ghana National Fire Service has advised Ghanaians to be very cautious this festive season as cases of firebreaks goes up doing times like this.
