GNFS warns of fires at Kantamanto Market

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has warned of more fire outbreaks at the Kantamanto Market due to congestion and illegal electrical connections.

The GNFS said lack of access paths to the market were thwarting efforts of fire fighters anytime there was an outbreak.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) Kwame Kwarteng, who gave the warning during a media tour on Wednesday, also said failure of assemblies to comply with fire safety standards was responsible for some of the fire occurrences.

The tour was to afford journalists the opportunity to appreciate real difficulties fire officers go through whenever there were fire outbreaks.

DCFO Kwarteng said wooden materials used by traders to erect structures and widespread illegal electrical connection, coupled with indiscriminate mix of explosive and non-explosive materials, posed a serious threat to lives and property in the market.

He explained that the lack of access passages to the market made it extremely difficult to reach fire hydrants while most of those hydrants, if reachable at all, had been encroached upon.

He called on the Electricity Company of Ghana, the Ghana Water Company and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to play their respective roles effectively to ensure traders did the right things in the market.

Dr Albert Brown-Gaisie, Director of Operations, briefing media personnel earlier, said most of the fire outbreaks were due to delay in reporting and non-compliance of fire safety standards by the assemblies.

He also mentioned bad attitudes, ignorance, apathy and carelessness as some of the things that spark off fires at various places.

Dr. Brown-Gaisie said wooden structures used in putting up structures resulted in many of the fire occurrences with the consequential loss of lives and property, and also a drain of national resources.