Property worth thousands of Ghana cedis was destroyed on Sunday when fire gutted several shops at the Kasoa New Market. The incident occurred barely 24 hours after another disaster involving a building collapse claimed three lives and injured dozens.
Since Sunday was not a regular trading day at the Kasoa New Market, traders and night security personnel were not present when the fire broke out. Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service deployed four fire tenders to the scene following a distress call, but access to the market was impeded. The firefighters were able to contain the inferno after three hours, but goods worth thousands of cedis were destroyed.
Traders accused the firefighters of responding late to the disaster, but Acting Chief Fire Officer Kofi Forson dismissed the accusations, stating that four fire tenders were deployed promptly.
The Area National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) Zonal Officer, Christopher Appiah, expressed dissatisfaction with the market’s activities, noting that many people cook daily and the shops were not properly built.
Eyewitnesses suspect the fire may have been caused by a gas cylinder explosion, although the cause has not been immediately determined. The leadership of the Kasoa New Market Traders Association has announced plans to provide some relief, including monetary allocations to those affected. Six months ago, another market in the area was also razed by fire.
