Fire guts parts of Kaneshie Market

There was a huge fire outbreak in a store at the Kaneshie Market yesterday afternoon. It destroyed foam mattresses, mobile phones and an unspecified amount of money.

According to the owner of the store, Kwaku Okine, the fire started suddenly at about 4.30 p.m. after an explosion from the electricity meter.

"The fire spread very quickly, and engulfed the whole store but I managed to escape before calling the fire service," he told the Times on arrival at the scene after the blaze had been brought under control.

Fire Station Officer, David Ofori, who led the team of fire personnel attributed the cause of the outbreak to excessive heat.

He said the store owner had packed mattresses from the ground to the ceiling, thereby leaving no room for ventilation.

Mr Okine said it took them ten minutes to reach the scene, after they received the call at about 5.20 p.m. about the fire outbreak.

"We used ten minutes to bring the fire under control and in 20 minutes, everything was over," said Mr Okine.

The police had a hectic time trying to prevent looting by people taking advantage of the situation.