Market fires mere disasters until proven otherwise - Accra Mayor

The Accra Mayor, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, says the recent fire outbreaks are mere disasters.

This statement by the Mayor of Accra follows the razing of numerous shops at the Katamanto second-hand clothing lane at the Kantamanto Market in Accra Wednesday dawn.

Prior to the Kantamato market fire, over eight shops near the Metro Mass Bus terminal at the Koforidua Central Business District were also razed by fire Tuesday.

Although the cause of the Koforidua market fire is still not known, some shop owners have attributed it to an electrical fault. Goods worth millions of Ghana cedis were destroyed, leaving shop owners to their fate.

Part of the Kaneshie market was also razed by fire Sunday 20th December 2020 dawn.

Some experts have, however, argued that some persons are deliberately burning the markets for their selfish gains.

Commenting on the fire outbreaks in the various markets on Atinka AM Drive with host Ekourba Gyasi, Accra Mayor, Mohammed Adjei Sowa, noted that he does not agree with persons attributing the fire outbreak to arsons.

According to him, the recent fire outbreaks in the markets are mere accidents until proven otherwise by the investigative team handling the cases.

“As for disasters, they are mere accidents one cannot predict. What you can do is to put things in place to minimize the fires. In our view, the outbreaks are accidents until proven otherwise by the investigative team, then we can take it up from there," he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has attributed the recurring market fires to the failure of market owners to implement recommendations put in place by the service.

"Most of the time when we give out recommendations, these market owners who take monies from the dwellers of the market, fail to implement them because it involves a lot of money, forgetting that implementing the recommendations will help curb the issue of fire outbreaks, especially during this season,” the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana National Fire Service, Divisional Officer 1 Ellis Robinson Okoe told Ekourba Gyasi.