Kumasi: Second fire hits Asafo Market within 24 hours

The Asafo Market in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi has once again been engulfed by fire.

This is the second time in less than 24 hours after a fire outbreak destroyed some shops and two offices at the market on Saturday night.

Fire fighters are having it tough reaching the fire spot due to lack of proper demarcation within the market.

The cause of the fire is yet to be established.

A first fire was recorded late Saturday evening, razing shops and leaving affected traders helpless as they count their loses. The fire destroyed mainly the shoemakers arena and some part of the meat marketing shops close to the main entrance opposite the Asafo overhead bridge.

The late Saturday night fire brought down at least 200 shops with other temporary warehouses.

The Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, ACFO Joshua Nguah, has called for an intensified patrol at nights following a spate of fire outbreaks at major markets.

He said it will be too early to suspect foul play, however, he said the magnitude of fire is a cause for concern.

“I don’t want to jump into conclusion… the obstruction within the market is a challenge,” Nguah told the media. “We really need to intensify the market patrols.”

Third Market fire in less than a week

On Good Friday, fire gutted parts of the Kumasi Central market. The area affected mostly was the part heading towards Dr. Mensah.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but a police source say personnel of the Fire Service have arrived at the scene and are currently fighting to put out the flame.

Scores of items are believed to have been razed down by the inferno.

Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Dorcas Afriyie Danso