Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has assured victims of the new Kejetia market fire incident, of government’s support.
According to him, reports from officers from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) indicate that the inferno was caused by a shop owner who was cooking with a gas cylinder, and it escalated because of the combustible materials that are sold around the area, which led to the starting of the fire.
Speaking to the traders after inspecting the fire scene, the Vice President announced that part of the facility that was not affected by the fire will be reopened for business on Tuesday, despite the earlier directive by the board indicating that the market would be closed for one more week.
“We are here to empathize with you following the fire that gutted the market. We are equally affected by the sad situation, that’s why I’m here today to show my concerns. I was taken around the market by the GNFS, NADMO officials, and they told me that through their investigations, the market caught fire as a result of cooking by one of the traders, whose shop was close to a nearby chemical shop.”
“You are all worried that you are not working now because the market is closed. I have had some talks with GNFS. So tomorrow, March 21, you will start working. I talked to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo this morning before coming here. He told me to inform you that traders whose shops were affected will be supported.”
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
He commended the fire officers for doing a yeoman’s job by stopping the fire from spreading to other shops.
“We will all attest to the fact that the fire officers did a great job in quenching the fire from spreading to other shops. The fire gutted 33 shops out of 8000 shops, so I want to commend them greatly. They did a yeoman’s job, both GNFS and NADMO officials.”
Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, also assured that government will strictly implement the recommendations of the committee that would be set up to probe the recent fire incident.
The Vice President was accompanied by his wife 2nd lady Samira Bawumia, New Patriotic Party (NPP) national executives, regional executives, ministers, MP’s, constituency executives, amongst many others.
New Kejetia Gutted By Fire
The board of the new Kejetia Market also known as the Kumasi City Markets Limited on March 19, directed the facility to be closed for one more week starting Monday, March 20, prior to the Vice President’s indication of resuming market activities tomorrow.
This comes after the market was gutted by fire on Wednesday, March 15, which led to the destruction of items worth millions of Ghana Cedis. Following the incident, the facility was reopened after 12 noon the next day and was later closed down for three days, for further assessment.
Traders at the market had vowed to defy the directive for the facility to be closed for one more week. According to the leadership of the traders, together with transport operators, they would have still gone to the facility and engaged in their usual activities despite the board’s directive.
From Friday to Sunday, persons who had been directly affected by the fire were allowed to access their shops for only three hours, as those who dealt in perishable goods were given preferential treatment to check the state of their items.
Mr. Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, also called for a committee to be set up to probe the circumstances that led to the escalation of the fire outbreak. He reiterated, that government will offer its support to the affected.
READ ALSO: Bawumia In Lead Of Winning NPP Flagbearership Race- Ben Ephson
