Over 40 shops destroyed by fire at Kumasi Central Market

At least 40 shops in the locally manufactured sandals enclave at the Kumasi Central Market were completely burnt when fire gutted the market on Sunday night.

It was the eighth fire disaster to be recorded over the weekend destroying properties worth hundreds of Ghana cedis.

Just about the same time last year, the metropolis recorded 15 of such fires but with little impact.

There were two fire outbreaks each at Breman, Sokoban, Dompoase and one near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) area.

Eye witness account has it that the Central Market Fire started around 8:48 pm on Sunday while the shoemakers were still working.

But instead of calling for help to extinguish the fire, the attendants decided to salvage their wares as the situation worsened.

By 8:51 pm when the team from the Ghana National Fire Service arrived at the scene, the fire had spread destroying more properties.

The Public Relations Officer for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Divisional Officer Grade 3, Desmond Ackah, said when the team got to the scene around 8:51 the situation had gotten out of hand.

"We had to call for three more fire tenders to be able to fight the fire. Thankfully by 10:35 PM, we were able to bring the fire under control and by 12:35 am on Monday, we had succeeded in extinguishing the fire completely," he said.

Mr Ackah said preliminary investigation showed that there were too many illegal electrical connections which may have triggered the fire.

He said only eight shops were spared out of the 48 with mostly items destroyed being leather materials and other finished products ready to be sent to the market for sales.