General News
Coconut Groove Hotel, GN Bank, two TV stations on fire
The GN Bank owned by businessman cum politician Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom was caught up in fire Saturday evening as helpless fire personnel struggled to douse the fire.Reports from the scene indicates that the fire started from the Business Television Africa (BTA) before spreading to the bank and part of the Three Star Coconut Grove Regency Hotel which shared the same compound with the television station. Another TV station owned by Groupe Nduom, ATV (Amasan Televsion) close to the Ghana Immigration Service near the Ako Adjei Interchange in Accra was also affected. Everybody was evacuated from the premises as the fire rages on.
About 10 fire fighting engines were deployed to the scene as they move in and out to refill to ensure that there is enough tenders to quench the fire, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglatey told journalists.
He said the fire personnel were able to protect other apartments and buildings to reduce impact of the outbreak as the fire threatened to spread. Most of the structures are made of wood which explains how fast the fire was able to spread, Mr. Anaglatey observed.It is too early to determine the cause of the fire, he said as at 7:00 pm when the place was still burning.
A management member of one of the companies affected said the fire started around 4:00pm, but claimed the Ghana National Fire Service which is headquartered five minutes drive from the fire scene came unprepared.
Questioning the kind of training given to some personnel of the fire service, the man who would not give his name described the approach of the personnel to fight the inferno as “terrible”.
“I am disappointed,” he told newsmen, noting that he had expected the personnel to confront the fire when they came to the scene, but rather decided to safeguard unaffected properties, which escalated the fire.
But the fire personnel at the scene had insisted that they adopted the best practice in such situation. The inferno was brought under control around 8:10pm without any casualty being recorded.
Source: 3news
