Adum fire: Traders blame power outages as President Mahama visits

President John Dramani Mahama has visited Adum in Kumasi to assess the damage caused by a massive fire that destroyed hundreds of shops in the Central Business District.

The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Friday (21 March) swept through the market, leaving traders devastated as they lost goods worth thousands of cedis.

During his visit, Mahama sympathized with the affected traders and assured them of government support. He also called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the fire.

However, some traders blamed ongoing power outages for the disaster, alleging that unstable electricity supply may have sparked the flames.

“We believe the frequent power cuts caused this fire. When the lights go off and come back suddenly, it affects our wiring,” a distraught shop owner said.

“We have evacuated our building we have switched off our machine and all of us have been evacuated from the building. The fire started few minutes before 6:00AM. The kind of items sold there are combustibles and that is the challenge here”, said Ama Nyarko Attafuah-Quainoo, programmes head at Hello FM.

Firefighters faced difficulties in controlling the blaze due to blocked access routes and the presence of highly flammable goods in the shops.

Mahama also cautioned traders against cooking in the market, stating that the use of gas cylinders in enclosed spaces increases fire risks.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident while affected traders appeal for urgent assistance to rebuild their businesses.