Accra: Fire has destroyed a warehouse and at least six residential houses at Laterbiokorshie in Accra. The blaze, which started on Tuesday afternoon, is believed to have originated from a Chinese-owned warehouse storing highly combustible materials like shoes and bags.
According to Ghana News Agency, an eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, reported seeing flames in the sky and rushed to the scene to help extinguish the fire at 1500 hours. The eyewitness recounted, “When I came here, I saw six houses burning and in flames. So I saw the firefighters here trying their best to extinguish the fire.”
The eyewitness further revealed that a man was rescued from one of the affected houses after being found unconscious. Additionally, he mentioned that one firefighter collapsed during the operation.
An official from the fire service, who requested anonymity, stated that the major challenge in tackling the fire was the lack of fire hydrants in the residential area, which complicated efforts to replenish the water supply of the fire tenders. He explained that a fully-loaded fire tender can run out of water in as little as 15 minutes, especially when multiple hoses are in use.
“The ideal thing is that Ghana Water Company is supposed to build hydrants. In urban settings, within every 150 meters, there should be a fire hydrant,” the official remarked. Despite the challenges, firefighters managed to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining warehouses and other residential facilities, though they had to bring in more water from a distance.
Both the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and the Member of Parliament (MP) were present at the scene to observe the firefighting efforts. No casualties were reported at the time of the report, a fact for which officials expressed gratitude. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, as forensic experts from the Ghana National Fire Service are expected to commence work today.