A National Security operative at the scene to assist the fire personnel made it known.
Addressing the media, he explained that the primary challenge faced by the fire service personnel is their inability to access the area where the fire is burning due to the wooden structures surrounding the building and the looting of items by individuals.
He stated that the fire would have likely been extinguished if there was a clear pathway for the fire service to access the source of the blaze.
“It started around 5 A.M. thereabout, and we arrived there around 5:15. The main problem is how to get access to where the fire started. Had there been a way through, they would have finished their work within 30 minutes. But the people were even disrupting them. Some were looting. We had to go and arrest some of them.
“And the military too came in, and then they even helped us along. So now the fire is towards the Roman hill area, towards phase two of the building, so they are still working on it seriously. The fire is still raging, and there is water in the tenders. But getting to where the fire is our problem right now,” he said.
The raging fire that has engulfed several shops inside the Central Market in Adum, Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, has not yet been extinguished by the Ghana National Fire Service.
The latest update from the GNFS indicates that efforts are still underway to contain the fire, which has engulfed the topmost part of a three-story commercial building housing electrical shops.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, accompanied by security personnel and REGSEC, visited the scene of the fire to inspect and assess the extent of the damage. Operatives from the National Security have also briefed him.
The blaze continues to cause extensive damage, with estimates indicating losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of cedis.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
