Victims of the recent fire outbreak at the Bantama Racecourse market in the Ashanti Region are urgently calling for support to rebuild their businesses and recover their losses.
The fire, which broke out on December 16, destroyed numerous stalls, leaving several traders without livelihoods.
Many of the affected traders, who deal in a variety of goods such as clothing, foodstuffs, and electronics, are now facing severe financial hardship.
They are appealing to the government, philanthropists, and organizations for assistance in the form of financial support, relief materials, and resources to help them get back on their feet.
Community leaders and market representatives have also voiced their concerns over the lack of proper fire safety measures, which they believe could have minimized the extent of the damage.
They are calling for urgent steps to improve fire prevention systems in the market to prevent future disasters.
The victims are hopeful that with timely support, they will be able to recover from the devastating incident and resume their businesses.
“We got a call yesterday [December 16] that this place was up in flames. We thought it was the other side because they sell food there. Another piece of information reached us that it is our place, but it is watermelon we sell.
“Our next three shops sell apples. They have a cold room where they keep their apples. There is also a cold store behind us. The Ghana National Fire Service had almost extinguished the fire when we arrived. All our goods are burnt.
“I had GH¢15,000 worth of goods in there. I also had some personal belongings there. We are pleading with the public to assist us with any form of support they can.”
