Fire Destroys 10 Container Shops at Kasoa New Market, 30 Others Partially Damaged

• A fire outbreak at the Kasoa New Market on Tuesday, November 10, gutted 10 metal container shops in the early hours of the morning
• The Ghana National Fire Service deployed crews from three stations: Buduburam, Weija and Dansoman, to battle the blaze
• Firefighters faced serious challenges containing the fire due to the close arrangement of containers and the absence of a fire hydrant in the market

A fire that broke out at the Kasoa New Market in the early hours of Tuesday, November 10, destroyed 10 metal container shops and left 30 others partially damaged, according to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

The GNFS disclosed in a Facebook post on Wednesday, November 11, that the Buduburam Fire Station received a distress call at 2:14 a.m. A crew led by Station Officer II Balorby was dispatched a minute later and arrived at the scene at 2:27 a.m.

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The scale of the blaze prompted the Buduburam crew to call for reinforcements from the Weija and Dansoman fire stations.

A further complication arose when the Buduburam fire tender developed a mechanical fault mid-operation, forcing the Weija crew to assume full firefighting duties.

In total, 80 metal containers were affected by the fire. Goods destroyed included clothing, cooking oil, rubber slippers, assorted drinks, gas cylinders and refrigerators. Firefighters managed to salvage 40 other containers through the joint operation.

The blaze was brought under control at 3:49 a.m. and fully extinguished at 6:21 a.m., nearly four hours after the initial call was received. No casualties were recorded.

The GNFS noted that containing the fire proved particularly difficult due to the tight spacing between the containers, the highly flammable nature of the goods stored within them and the absence of a fire hydrant anywhere in the market.

These conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly before crews could establish an effective perimeter, underscoring longstanding concerns about fire safety infrastructure in busy commercial markets across Ghana.

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Traders hit with losses as Kumasi market gutted by fire

YEN.com.gh reported that a fire razed stalls and destroyed merchandise at Tafo Moro Market, one of the principal centres for second-hand shoe trading in the Old Tafo Municipality of the Ashanti Region on October 11.

The outbreak left traders facing significant losses, with many forced to sift through the wreckage of their stalls in an effort to salvage what remained of their stock and personal belongings.

Source: YEN.com.gh