A building on Zongo Lane in Rawlings Park, Accra, partially collapsed after a fire caused significant damage.
The collapse happened when the already weakened top floor gave way, raising safety concerns in the bustling commercial area.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire began around 7:30 am and swiftly spread to several structures, resulting in extensive destruction.
Despite the Ghana National Fire Service’s (GNFS) efforts to control the blaze, the building suffered severe structural damage, leading to its eventual collapse.
Shop owners affected by the fire spoke to Channel One TV, expressing their distress over their losses.
Alex King Nartey, a GNFS Public Relations officer, discussed the difficulties encountered while battling the fire, noting that the flames were exacerbated by exploding gas cylinders and generators, which caused the fire to spread quickly.
“Our team upon arrival realised there was a fire involving a warehouse. To fight the fire, they had to get ECG to cut the power supply to the area. It took a while to cut the power.
The problem is that accessibility was curtailed, even the stairs, leading to another floor were fortified with burglarproof and padlocks.
“To even get access to cut the fire from spreading to other floors were curtailed, because the padlocks and fortifications were too much. That’s what delayed and so we have to call our rescue team.
“If you realise the kind of materials here, generators, gas cylinders, and right now we fear the building might collapse. It’s been very tough to fight and until the fire is totally out we are not going.”
