Over 15 wooden structures meant for warehouses, stores, and residences, were destroyed by fire in the early hours of Thursday, November 14, at Odawna in Circle.
According to Alex King Nartey, a Public Relations (PR) team member of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), although firefighters arrived at the scene promptly, they struggled to combat the blaze due to restricted access to the site.
“Fortunately, our team at Circle is just a few minutes away from the scene, so they got there in good time. However, the unfortunate issue was that the fire was situated right at the edge of the Odawna gutter, making it difficult for them to access the area. The fire tender could not get close to the scene, so we had a hard time manoeuvring the tender to fight the fire,” he explained.
Mr Nartey said that despite these challenges, the firefighters were able to “salvaged over 200 wooden structures and adjoining warehouses” in the vicinity.
He reported that only “15 wooden structures, used for both domestic and commercial purposes, were damaged”.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined by the service. However, Mr Nartey suggested that it could be due to “faulty electrical wiring, negligence, or even an illegal connection”.
According to last year’s report, a total of 5,256 fire outbreaks were recorded between January and November 2023.
Most of the fires in urban areas were attributed to poor or illegal electricity connections, negligence, and, in some cases, domestic accidents.