One dies in Arts Centre fire
One person has been confirmed dead in a fire that gutted wooden structures at the Arts Centre in Accra on Tuesday (28 February).
The fire tore through hundreds of structures, destroying property worth thousands of cedis.
When the Ghana News Agency arrived on the scene, residents were trying to salvage property from the blaze, while others stood helpless.
The Fire Service arrived 30 minutes after the fire started in the afternoon, and it took staff about an hour and half to douse it, eyewitnesses say.
Briefing reporters, Kofi Forson, the deputy director of operations at the Ministries Fire Command, said: “Now, when we got here, the fire was well alive, meaning the fire has reached a stage that one pump cannot tackle.”
They called for five more pumps to be brought in, he said.
“One unfortunate situation we are experiencing is that one person has been found dead, burned beyond recognition. That is why we need the police to come and take over.”
The fire officer said the place was occupied for both residential and commercial purposes, and added, “There was a display of a number of gas cylinders.
“Some were exploding when we were fighting the fire.”
Forson advised the public always to avoid using or making illegal connections to the national electricity grid and not to misuse liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
