Fire reduces ‘Abuja’ to ground zero

An eight-month-old baby boy was last Tuesday night burnt to death when fire engulfed Abuja, a slum settlement near the headquarters of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in Accra.

The fire, which was believed to have started from the wooden structure in which the baby and his mother were living, destroyed more than 200 wooden structures serving as shops and homes.

It took personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) almost three hours to bring the fire, which started around 8 p.m., under control.

The mother of the deceased, whose whereabouts were unknown as of the time of going to press, is said to have lit a candle in the structure and left it unattended.

Retrospect

In 2013, the same area was reduced to ground zero as a result of a blazing fire which swept through the congested slum built with wood and highly combustible materials.

The slum is home to a large number of head porters (kayayei) and hawkers who ply their trade in the central business district (CBD) of the capital.

With the recent demolition of Sodom and Gomorrah and other slums in Accra, Abuja has become more populated because some of the affected persons from the demolished slums are believed to have moved there.

Visit

When the Daily Graphic visited the area yesterday morning, it was observed that the water used to put out the fire had flooded the area, while broken louvre blades and burnt items were scattered everywhere.

Electrical gadgets, including refrigerators and sewing machines, as well as second-hand clothing, had all been consumed by the fire.
While some residents salvaged the remains of their belongings, others looked on hopelessly.

GNFS

The Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Mr Prince Billy Anaglate, told the Daily Graphic that because the structures were mainly built with wood and combustible materials, the fire spread fast, causing severe damage, adding that the timely intervention of the firefighters stopped it from spreading to buildings such as the National Investment Bank and the COCOBOD head office.

He said the congested nature of the area made it very difficult for fire personnel to have access to the place.

On the rate of fire outbreaks at the slum, Mr Anaglate suggested to city planners to either evacuate the residents of the slum or ensure that they built their structures with solid materials.

Victims speak

Counting their losses, some of the victims of the fire told the Daily Graphic that their livelihood and properties that they had acquired over the years had been destroyed by the fire.

“I lost 14 boxes of eggs, each containing ten crates and now I cannot even tell the estimated amount of the wares and properties I have lost”, Madam Vida Ntri said while pointing to her burnt shop.

Another victim, who operated a tailoring shop in the slum with her husband, Mrs Matilda Adjei, said they lost two sewing machines and their customers second-hand clothes worth GH¢ 20,000.

Richard Nyame, a provisions shop owner, stated that he was at a nearby shop watching a football match when he spotted that his shop was on fire.

“I began screaming and calling for help and all attempts to put out the fire proved futile until the GNFS arrived. My provision shop with items amounting to more than GH¢ 2,500 were all burnt,”he added.

Ms Matilda Anyim who could not hold back her tears as she spoke to the Daily Graphic team called on the government to come to their aid because the slum served as a home and business centre for scores of people.

“I cannot tell how much I have lost, but I know I have lost a lot of money and I do not know how and where to start from,” she said.