33 Shops Affected, 5 Injuries Recorded In Kejetia Market Fire
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has disclosed that five persons got injured in the fire outbreak at a portion of Kumasi City Market Limited (KCML) on Wednesday afternoon.
Of the number of injured persons, three were treated on the spot and discharged by personnel of the National Ambulance Service whereas the remaining two are on admission at the Manhyia Government Hospital and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
The Service in an update on the incident on Thursday morning said 217 shops and their contents were saved from the inferno whose cause is yet to be determined.
It said of the 33 shops affected, 30 used for the sale of hardware materials including carbide, turpentine, paints and other highly flammable solvents were extensively damaged.
The remaining three shops and their contents were partially damaged.
The Fire
The fire started in the late afternoon of March 15, in one shop, according to eyewitnesses and spread to other shops destroying goods worth millions of cedis.
Security agencies including the Fire Service, the Ambulance Service and the Police Service responded to the incident.
The GNFS in their update said the first fire engine got to the scene at 4:33 pm and was joined by five other fire tenders and a Turntable Ladder (TL) to fight the fire.
The firefighters were from the Kejetia Fire Post, Kumasi Metro, Komfo Anokye, Manhyia, Regional Headquarters SubStation, Breman and KNUST Fire Stations.
Also at the scene to help fight the fire were some of the traders and workers from Contracta- developers of the market complex.
The Service said hundreds of occupants were safely rescued and evacuated from the smoky and fire-ridden portion of the Kejetia market by the firefighters and rescuers at the time of the fire.
Some viral videos showed some trapped persons being let down on a rope.
The Service said it took three hours to douse the fire.
The GNFS noted it has commenced investigations to “unravel the origin and cause of the fire”.
Meanwhile, the market complex has been closed to the public until Thursday noon.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
