Kumasi records 2 fires in 24 hours

THE ASHANTI Regional capital of Kumasi has recorded two fire outbreaks in just 24 hours, leading to massive destruction of properties and sadly rendering dozens of people homeless.

The first inferno started at Bombay, a densely populated area in the Greater Kumasi on Thursday when a fire lit to burn a heap of garbage, got out of hands and spread to cause massive destruction.

Within a few minutes, the blaze, enhanced the dry weather, had spread at an astonishing speed to burn two Sawmill Companies and a number of metal containers to the chagrin of onlookers.

The fire, which was so intense and very difficult to quench, also burnt several wooden structures, which were serving as accommodation for some head porters, who are popularly refer to as ‘Kayayie’.

The personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), having received a distressed call, rushed to the area and fought very hard to bring the inferno under control, thereby reducing the level of destruction.

In the second fire outbreak incident, which occurred around 3pm on Friday, shop owners at Adum, the center of Kumasi, were making brisk business when a fire suddenly started from a grocery shop.

Just like the first fire incident, the dry weather aided the inferno to travel at top speed and within a few minutes, about five grocery shops have been reduced into ashes to the surprise of people present.

Fire fighters, who clearly lacked modern equipments to fight fire, rushed to the scene and they struggled a lot before they could quench the blaze, which had already flattened five grocery shops.

The two fire incidents were still under investigations to help determined what exactly caused both of them when this story was being filed on Sunday.