Traders at the Suame Post Office market in the Ashanti region are counting their losses after a late-night fire destroyed over 100 shops. The inferno reportedly started at midnight on Tuesday and tore through the market, razing properties and various items sold at the market, worth millions of cedis.
According to eyewitnesses, gas cylinders stored at the market exploded, contributing to the rapid spread of the fire throughout the market. The cause of the fire is yet to be established. The traders watched helplessly as their shops and goods were consumed by the inferno. Some nearby residents rushed to the scene and forcefully opened some shops to salvage items before the fire consumed them.
Traders and residents allege that firefighters arrived at the scene late, when several parts of the market had already been razed. “We called for help earlier, but the fire service came late. By then, everything was gone,” one distraught eyewitness said.
No casualties have since been reported as the Ghana National Fire Service commences preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire. According to an update from the Ghana National Fire Service, twenty-five of the forty-four shops at the market were affected, while 192 sheds were destroyed.
This was confirmed by the Public Relations Officer of the GNFS in the Ashanti region, DO II Peter Addai.
Source: Emmanuel Bright Quaicoe
