Fire razes 50 stores in Mankessim market

About 50 stores at the Mankessim main market were razed by fire last Tuesday night destroying goods running into thousands of cedis.

It took personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) from Mankessim with support from the Regional Headquarters in Cape Coast and Breman Essiem Fire stations about four hours to bring the raging inferno under control.

There were no casualties.

Eye witnesses said the fire started around 10 p.m. when traders had locked up and the inaccessible nature of the market made it difficult for people at the scene to help rescue the situation.

Distraught victims wailed as they beheld their lifetime savings and capital burnt to ashes.

The Regional Fire Public Relations Officer, Mr Wasiu Abdul, said the Fire Service received a distress call around 10:38 pm about the fire outbreak and immediately moved in but explained that there was an obstruction due to ongoing construction works at the market making it difficult for the personnel to access the fire.

Again, he said, the absence of fire hydrants was a challenge.

However, he said, personnel managed to control the fire from spreading to more stores.

The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, who visited the market to commiserate with affected victims, said it was disturbing that people’s lifetime capital had gone done the drain in one day.

She stressed that it was important to adopt all the safety precautions to help reduce the incidence of fires in the markets.

The Member of Parliament for the Mfantseman constituency, Mrs Ophelia Hayford Mensah,who also consoled the victims, said government would work to build the market into an ultra-modern facility to improve access and convenience and to enhance trading.

The cause of the of the fire is yet to be established.