By Emelia Nkrumah/Lawrencia Mensah
Accra, Aug. 18, GNA- About fifteen wooden structures have been destroyed in a fire outbreak at Kojo Sardine, a suburb of La in Accra Thursday morning.
A poultry farm in the area was also affected by the fire said to have occurred in the wee hours of Thursday.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established.
Meanwhile, according to eyewitness accounts, the fire started in one of the wooden structures before spreading to other adjoining structures.
The Fire Service is said to have arrived at the scene at about 0452 hours, but “struggled” to douse the fire immediately as the affected structures were situated close to a storm drain which “impeded” access.
Ms Abiotu Christabel Amaah, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said the Service received a distress call at around 0447 hours and dispatched the nearest truck, which got to the scene five minutes after the call.
Minutes into the firefight, she said, additional fire tenders and pumps were called to help quench the fire.
Ms Amaah said the firefighters successfully quenched the fire at about 0610 hours.
“The first fire truck came from Trade Fair Fire Station, Ministries Headquarters, and the rest from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle fire station,” she said.
Ms Amaah said there were no casualties recorded as the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) was also at the scene to help put the situation under control.
She said comprehensive investigations were still ongoing to establish the cause of the outbreak.
Madam Akweley Musa, a porridge vendor and a victim, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that she lost her utensils and an unspecified amount of money, which she had kept in her room before the outbreak.
She said when she woke up at dawn to prepare her porridge, she observed smoke emanating from one of the wooden structures nearby.
“During my preparation, I saw smoke coming out of one of the rooms and shouted for help,” she said.
Another victim, Richie, a “trotro” driver, said he received a distress call from a neighbour around 0430 hours who told him about the outbreak.
He said he was only left with what he was wearing because the fire destroyed everything, including his savings.
“I was at work this dawn when I got a call that there was an outbreak somewhere, but I didn’t know it was where I stayed. The fire has consumed part of my apartment,” he said.
GNA