A devastating fire has engulfed a session of the Anloga Market in the Volta Region, destroying goods valued thousands of Ghana cedis.
The fire, which reportedly started around 1500hours on Tuesday January 21, originated from a wooden storehouse that housed items belonging to several traders.
Eyewitnesses claimed the fire was sparked by a bush fire near the storehouse, which quickly spread to the structure. The affected wooden storehouse that contained goods including mats, sacks of cassava dough, African prints, plastic wares, jewelry, secondhand clothing, earthenware pots, and two corn mills and other unidentified items, were reduced to ashes, leaving the traders devastated.
Mr. Ahlija Jacob, a corn mill owner, who lost two of his mills to the fire, expressed his frustration and despair. “I don’t know how to handle this situation,” he lamented in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA). Madam Grace Gemegah, a cassava dough seller, also shared her plight, stating she could no longer trade as her entire stock was destroyed. Another victim, who deals in plastic wares, was inconsolable upon arriving at the scene to find her goods completely ruined.
Mr. John “Vision” Agbetiafa, Secretary to the Market Authorities, commended the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) for their swift response. “We are grateful to the firefighters for their intervention. We are currently engaging the affected traders to gather information for possible further action,” he said. The GNFS is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
Source: GNA
