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Several shops at the Kumasi Central Market have been destroyed following a devastating fire outbreak in the central business district of Adum in Kumasi.
Eyewitness accounts suggest that the fire started around 5:00 am at the popular Blue Light arena, near Hello FM, before rapidly spreading to several shops.
Videos of the inferno show flames engulfing buildings, with thick black smoke filling the atmosphere. Distraught traders were seen desperately trying to salvage what they could from their shops.
Several personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service were on the scene with about five fire tenders, struggling to bring the blaze under control. However, some frustrated traders blamed the extensive damage on the delayed response of the fire service.
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One trader lamented:
I work at Blue Light, and I want to ask the fire service why they couldn’t stop the fire. It started at 6:00 am, but they only arrived around 8:00 am.
Another affected trader shared their ordeal:
I sell air fresheners. When I got here at 4:30 am, the fire had already started. All my goods, worth 8,000 cedis, have been destroyed. We need help to survive.
Some traders also blamed the incident on the ongoing intermittent power outages in the country.
Meanwhile, the fire service is expected to begin investigations to determine the cause of the fire.
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This incident comes just eight hours after a similar fire outbreak at an unlicensed ‘Gao Gao’ fuel station in Teshie, which caused extensive damage, reducing a vehicle and several commercial shops to ashes. Reports indicate that the fire ignited while gallons of fuel were being offloaded.