Fire destroys shops at Kantamanto

September 24, 2008 Centre Spread


Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru

FIRE swept through more than 600 stores and shops at the Kantamanto Market in Accra on Monday night, destroying property running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
Some of the property consumed included sewing materials, sandals, second-hand goods, audio and video cassettes and discs, shoes, as well as tailoring shops, hairdressing salons, drinking and chop bars.
The fire, which started at 7.00 p.m., raged for many hours before it was put under control by a contingent of eight fire tenders supported by three water tankers.
The attempts by the fire officers to extinguish the raging fire were obstructed by the tables packed along the access road to the fire spot by traders.
The fire, which burnt electric poles and cables, kept burning as the fire officers struggled to create alternative routes to the spot.
Divisional Officer Grade Two, Michael Gabianu, the Metro Fire Officer at the Accra City Fire Station, told the Daily Graphic that the eight fire tenders and three tankers that got to the scene were forced to stand in a row, supplying only the fire tender in front to fight the fire, rendering attempts to fight the fire from all angles impossible.
He said the fire officers had to create alternative routes before they could get to the fire spot.
Divisional Officer Gabianu said the intensity of the fire increased as a result of the presence of combustible materials, such as gas cylinders, at the market.
He said his outfit had begun investigations to establish the cause of the fire and cited overloading of circuits, power fluctuation and cooking in the midst of combustible materials as some of the possible causes.
Some of the distraught victims told the Daily Graphic that some people cashed in on the situation to steal some of the few goods that the victims managed to retrieve.
The police officers present could not contain the situation and the military were brought in to complement their work of preventing thievery and ensuring order at the place.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire was still smouldering.
Some of the victims were seen shedding tears, while others were being supported by relatives and friends to clear the rubble.
One of the victims, Mr Eric Twumasi, said all the traders had not insured their stores and indicated that insurance companies had refused to insure his stores because of the lack of access routes to the place.
Some of them told this reporter that they would look for some money to start the business, since they had several dependants, adding that they did not anticipate any help from any quarter.
Some young men who deal in scrap were also seen collecting metals from the rubble of sewing machines, refrigerators and pressing irons.
The Metro Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Henry Nii Lante Plange, said his outfit would collaborate with the government to consider assisting the traders to put up temporary structures.
The wife of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo; Mrs Samira Bawumia, the wife of the running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo; and Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey were at the market to sympathise with the traders.
The three expressed their sympathies to the victims and gave the indications that they would consult with Nana Akufo-Addo on how the government could support the victims of the fire to start their respective businesses.
The running mate to the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Mahama, was reported to have gone to the scene to sympathise with the victims of the fire.
In a related development, the government said it had learnt “with shock and dismay a fire outbreak at the Kantamanto Market in Accra which has engulfed the property of a number of people in the area”.
A press statement signed by the Government Spokesperson, Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, said the government had expressed its sympathy to all affected persons and promised to investigate the matter as early as possible and also come up with any form of assistance it could mobilise within the circumstances.
“At a time when the government is providing a conducive atmosphere for individual businessmen and women to go about their businesses in a peaceful manner, it is unfortunate that disaster in the form of a fire outbreak should occur to destroy the efforts of the good people of the country,” the statement said.
It appealed to all persons affected by the fire outbreak to remain calm and also note that the government greatly sympathised with them and would do everything to come to their aid.