General News of 2012-10-16

200 Lose Livelihood At Mallam Market Fire

At least 200 traders lost their stores and stalls at the Mallam Market in Accra when fire raged through the market early yesterday.

The fire, said to have started from a shop about 5:30 a.m., extended to provision and confectionary stores, boutiques, saloons and tailoring shops.

That brought business activities at the market to a standstill and caused a huge traffic jam on the Mallam-McCarthy stretch of the Mallam-Kasoa Road.

While traders blamed the situation on erratic electricity supply, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said it was yet to establish the cause of the fire.

As the victims of the fire wept uncontrollably, some young men cashed in on the situation and made away with some of the items belonging to the traders.

Nine fire engines, including a turntable machine, were used to put out the fire, which raged for about four hours.

The country has, since the beginning of this year, witnessed a series of fire outbreaks that have not only destroyed property but claimed human lives.

These fire outbreaks include those at the Lands Commission building in Accra, the explosion at Asylum Down that killed a family of three, the burning of 32 houses at Tema Manhean and the Asafo Market and Suame Magazine fire disasters in Kumasi.

Others are the gutting of six warehouses, a private residence and a filling station at the North Industrial Area in Accra and the Ghana Community Network Service Limited (GCNet) head office.

Last week alone, fire destroyed a paint store and a restaurant at Alajo, while the palace of the Begorohene and Benkumhene of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area was also razed down.

One of the victims of the Mallam Market fire, Madam Mary Akwele Ankrah, told the Daily Graphic that she had lost everything, including her money.

“Normally, I keep my money in my shop and I have lost everything,” the wailing Ankrah said.

Surrounded by her daughters and other traders who could also not hold back their tears, Madam Ankrah said she was at the market when another trader told her that there had been a spark of fire in one of the shops.

“I, therefore, came out shouting for help, and before people could come around, the fire was out of control,” she said.

Another victim, Faustina Dadzie, 52, who operates three provision stores, said her whole world had crashed, since she had lost everything.

She said she could not salvage anything, adding that she did not know what to do now.

A cloth dealer, Rebecca Aidoo, 36, who also lost her wares, said she had taken a loan of GH¢3,600 to boost her business, only for the fire to raze down her shop.

“I don’t know where I am going to get the money to pay back the loan,” she said.

A hairdresser, Charity Tettegah, 42, said she had lost two fridges, dryers, an unknown number of brand new towels and other items in her saloon.

“I was at home when one of my friends called to tell me that the market had been engulfed in fire. When I got here, my shop was completely burnt,” she said.

The victims of the fire appealed to the government to come to their aid, since they had lost everything.

Some of the traders accused the GNFS of not responding promptly.

But the Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, Prince Billy Anaglate, dismissed the allegation, saying that had not been for the swift intervention of the firemen, the entire market would have burnt down.

He said the extent of damage was yet to be determined.

He said the GNFS was yet to take inventory of the number of structures and the traders who were affected by the Monday morning disaster.