Residents of Krofuom, a suburb of Kumasi, allegedly attacked a fire tender while it battled a blaze that destroyed Trinity Television and an adjoining church. The aggressive crowd forced firefighters to flee, delaying efforts to control the fire, which caused significant damage estimated in the millions of cedis.
Police intervention was required to bring in another fire tender to handle the situation. The fire, which began around 9 a.m. on Friday, reduced an 18-year-old church building to rubble, along with the television studio and related facilities.
Staff and pastors at Trinity Television had just finished their morning broadcast when the fire, believed to have originated from a nearby kiosk, spread to the building. Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Apostle Collins Boadi, the television station owner, described the incident: “At about 9:10 a.m., we noticed a container behind us was burning. Many properties have been destroyed. We were preparing to launch a new studio on December 31.”
Despite efforts to salvage remaining items, it took nearly two hours to extinguish the fire. The initial fire tender was attacked by frustrated residents upset by the delayed response.
“People started throwing stones at them, so they had to leave for their safety. The police then stepped in. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Authorities need to caution people against this behavior,” said Solomon, an eyewitness.
The GNFS in the Ashanti region expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated attacks on their personnel. Investigations are ongoing to determine the fire’s cause.
