Fire sweeps through Odawna Market

Wild fire Wednesday dawn swept through stalls and shops at the Odawna Market, Kwame Nkrumah Circle/Interchange, destroying goods worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

The fire, said to have started at 0220 hours, took personnel of the National Fire Service more than four hours to douse.

Divisional Fire Officer II, Mr Ellis Okoe, the Head of Public Relations, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), told the Ghana News Agency that inaccessible routes to the market affected the ability of personnel to fight the fire but added that no casualty was recorded.

He said the cause of fire was unknown and it was destructive because the Fire Service personnel had serious challenges opening stalls, which were under lock, to douse it.

“As I’m talking to you now, firemen are still trying to break the heavy padlocks of these stalls (containers) to get access and extinguish the fire,” he stated.

Mrs Elizabeth Sackey, the Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, expressed sympathy to the traders for their loss and said the Ministry had the relevant data to ensure that each of them received the needed support.

Meanwhile, grief-stricken victims of the fire incident, mostly women, have appealed to the government to support them to bring their businesses back on track.

Some said they were beneficiaries of government’s COVID-19 stimulus package and unsure of how to repay the loan.

Hajia Rafatu, a dealer in fabrics, said all her goods, worth GH¢12,000.00, were burnt to ashes.

Akua Adoma, 45, who was heartbroken, said she sold hair products, which was her only source of income for the upkeep of her family, but all her wares had been consumed by the fire.

A middle-aged man, who was in tears and could not say much, appealed to the government help him.

The GNA met officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation assessing the situation.

In January, last year, fire razed about 80 stalls at the same market.

Source: GNA