Sekondi Fishing Harbour Fire Destroys Vehicles and Handcarts, Damages GPHA Block
- A fire at the Albert Bosumtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour in Sekondi destroyed two saloon vehicles and three handcarts
- The blaze, which lasted about four hours, was worsened by heavy rainfall that caused fuel to spread through drainage channels towards a nearby tank farm
- Firefighters managed to contain the situation and prevent a major disaster, including stopping the fire from reaching a coastal fuel tank
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Two saloon cars and three handcarts have been destroyed following a fire at the Albert Bosumtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour in Sekondi Albert Bosumtwi-Sam Fishing Harbour on Sunday, June 21.
The blaze also affected part of the administrative block belonging to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority within the harbour enclave, although fishing vessels at the site were spared.
Source: Getty Images
The Western Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service confirmed that the incident raged for approximately four hours before firefighters were able to bring it under control.
Despite the scale of the fire, emergency responders managed to prevent it from escalating into a larger industrial disaster.
Providing details on the incident in a report sighted on Citinewsroom, Divisional Officer One (DO I) Emmanuel Bonney explained that rainfall played a key role in the rapid spread of the flames.
He noted that fuel mixed with rainwater and travelled through drainage channels, increasing the risk of the fire reaching a nearby tank farm.
“…So, as it was raining, the gutters were filled with water, and the fuel was flowing on top of the water, with the fire spreading toward the tank farm. We had to act quickly to contain it and stop the fire from spreading so that we could extinguish it,” he explained.
Firefighters prevent wider disaster at fuel facility
According to him, firefighters prioritised protecting critical infrastructure, especially a coastal fuel tank that could have triggered a far more serious explosion.
He added that their quick response helped save most of the administrative building despite partial damage.
“That is exactly what we did, and we finally extinguished the fire at 8:15. We were able to prevent the coastal tank from catching fire. It was the rear section of the administration block of GPHA that got burnt, but we managed to save the entire building from being destroyed,” he said.
Authorities have confirmed that no fishing boats were impacted by the blaze, helping to limit the overall economic damage within the harbour community.
Accra Central fire suspect arrested
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that a fire outbreak destroyed shops directly opposite the Accra Central Police Station.
The Ghana National Fire Service deployed extra pumps from four different stations to contain the blaze.
Police authorities took one suspect into custody to assist with investigations into the cause of the fire.
Source: YEN.com.gh
