Fire has gutted several shops at the French-Line enclave of the Kumasi Central Market in the Ashanti Region. There were no casualties as the blaze swept through the area in the early hours of Sunday before stores opened, fire officials said.
At least five fire engines were deployed to contain the blaze, which spread quickly in the trading area due to the large amount of flammable items such as cooking oil and plastics.
Asaase News correspondent Jonathan Ofori reports that affected victims joined the fire crew to douse the blaze while others stood helplessly as the inferno tore through their wares.
“I have lost everything,” said Rahman, a 40-year-old phone dealer. “I couldn’t pick [even] a charger.”
“Items running into millions of Ghanaian cedis have been destroyed by the blaze and this is very unfortunate.
“I had just secured a loan from the bank to fill my container only to be slapped with this tragedy. All my livelihoods are gone,” another victim told Asaase News amid tears.
Divisional Officer Grade 1, Rashid Nisawu, deputy regional commander at the Ashanti Regional Fire command declared the fire “under control”. He said investigations have commenced to ascertain the cause of the fire.
“[Access] to the scene was a major challenge. We had five fire engines, so it meant that if one of the engines needed to replenish it meant all the other four needed to go back before it moved out. There was obstruction all over and that was a major challenge”, the fire officer.
“For now, I will not be able to tell you the cause of the fire, but investigations have commenced. But I can assure you that the situation is under control,” he added.
Reporting by Jonathan Ofori, French Line, Ashanti Region
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