Gas Explosion Rocks Kumasi Shoe Factory; Photos Show Devastation Caused By Raging Flames

• A gas explosion at the Kumasi Shoe Factory has caused a huge fire that has destroyed property
• The fire started when a gas tanker discharging fuel at the company reportedly caught fire and exploded
• The Ghana National Fire Service said school children nearby, users of the shoe factory and residents have been safely evacuated

A raging gas tank fire has consumed a section of the Kumasi Shoe Factory near Lobab International School at Atonsu Agogo in the Ashanti Region on Friday, June 17.

According to the Ghana National Fire Service, 4 pumps have been deployed at the scene to manage the situation.

"School Children of Lobab International school, users of the shoe factory and residents nearby have been safely evacuated from the fire scene whiles our Firefighters risk it to prevent the gas tank from exploding," the GNFS said in a post on Facebook.

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According to a report by Daily Graphic, a gas tanker discharging fuel at the company reportedly caught fire resulting in the explosion.

The area has been cordoned off by Police as firefighters battle the flames.

The report said eyewitnesses reported the tanker was discharging gas into the company's cylinder when it caught fire at 11am on Friday.

The explosion reportedly caused a panic resulting in injuries to some workers of the factory who rushed out for cover.

See photos shared by the GNFS below.

Joy News also reported that a stampede occurred while workers were rushing out of the factory after the explosion, resulting in three injuries.

The injured persons are said to be responding to treatment at the hospital. Two of them have been discharged but one is still at the hospital.

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Factory authorities say they are still conducting preliminary investigations into the cause of the fire and would soon release an official statement.

Raging fire consumes shops inside two-storey building at Opera Square in Accra

YEN.com.gh reported in a previous story that a late afternoon fire at the Opera Square in Accra consumed shops in a two-storey building and its contents, estimated to be in millions of cedis.

Videos of the blazing fire have inundated social media and show the valuables being destroyed amid firefighters' efforts to bring it under control.

The fire reportedly started around 3 pm on Monday, April 25, 2022.

Source: YEN.com.gh