A fire outbreak at Alajo in Accra has led to the death of a three-year-old boy.
The fire is said to have started at a location used mainly as mechanic workshops and trading posts about 8 p.m. last Tuesday.
A number of the wooden shops at the location near the Achimota-Accra rail line are occupied by squatters.
The mother of the three-year-old boy, Georgina Nti, said her son, George Blay, was sleeping when she left to have her bath in a public washroom close by.
When she returned, she saw the place on fire, with some residents trying to put out the fire.
The police said Ms Nti had lit a candle in the room and it was suspected that the fire could have been caused by the candle.
Victims speak
Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who received distress calls from some residents of the area had to use two fire engines to put out the fire.
For more than one hour, the firefighters tried to bring the fire under control, while policemen from the Kotobabi District Command controlled the crowd.
Properties, including cars parked at the mechanic shops and about 50 wooden structures in the area, have all been razed down by the fire.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene, some of the victims said they could not retrieve any of their belongings, as the fire had been very ferocious.
One of the affected persons, Ms Akosua Asamoah, said she had her dressmaking shop close to where the fire started.
She said when she heard of the fire outbreak, she ran to the scene to find that all the shops in the area had been burnt down.
"I don't even know what I will tell my customers who have their cloths with me. The cloths in my shop, both sewn and unsewn, are worth thousands of Ghana cedis, not to mention the knitting, sowing and embroidery machines that I had in there," she lamented.
An apprentice at one of mechanic shops, Alhassan Musa, said he was sleeping in a broken down car when he saw heavy smoke coming from one of the shops used for residential purposes.
"Suddenly, I heard people shouting and l rushed to the place. That was when l saw there was fire and it was spreading fast," he explained.
Police control crowd
The Kotobabi District Police Commander, Mrs Elizabeth Danquah, told the Daily Graphic that the police received information on the fire outbreak about 8:30 p.m.
"While fighting the fire, we discovered that we had one casualty — a-year-old boy had been burnt to death,” she said.
She said because the structures at the place were mostly wooden, it was easy for the fire to spread.
She noted that it was important for people to provide access routes when they constructed their homes, adding, “Because of the nature of the structures here, we had difficulty accessing the place.”
Advice for the public
The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Mr Timothy Yoosa Bonga, who visited the scene yesterday morning, sympathised with the victims.
He said because the place was used as a workshop and residence, it was important for the people to be cautious when they used fire.
He advised the public not to leave naked fires after they had been used for cooking or other things but ensure such fires were completely put out.
"When you use a candle, it must have a stand made of metal or glass. Lit candles should not be left on the bare floor or on a carpet," Mr Bonga said.
Writer's email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh
The fire is said to have started at a location used mainly as mechanic workshops and trading posts about 8 p.m. last Tuesday.
A number of the wooden shops at the location near the Achimota-Accra rail line are occupied by squatters.
The mother of the three-year-old boy, Georgina Nti, said her son, George Blay, was sleeping when she left to have her bath in a public washroom close by.
When she returned, she saw the place on fire, with some residents trying to put out the fire.
The police said Ms Nti had lit a candle in the room and it was suspected that the fire could have been caused by the candle.
Victims speak
Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) who received distress calls from some residents of the area had to use two fire engines to put out the fire.
For more than one hour, the firefighters tried to bring the fire under control, while policemen from the Kotobabi District Command controlled the crowd.
Properties, including cars parked at the mechanic shops and about 50 wooden structures in the area, have all been razed down by the fire.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene, some of the victims said they could not retrieve any of their belongings, as the fire had been very ferocious.
One of the affected persons, Ms Akosua Asamoah, said she had her dressmaking shop close to where the fire started.
She said when she heard of the fire outbreak, she ran to the scene to find that all the shops in the area had been burnt down.
"I don't even know what I will tell my customers who have their cloths with me. The cloths in my shop, both sewn and unsewn, are worth thousands of Ghana cedis, not to mention the knitting, sowing and embroidery machines that I had in there," she lamented.
An apprentice at one of mechanic shops, Alhassan Musa, said he was sleeping in a broken down car when he saw heavy smoke coming from one of the shops used for residential purposes.
"Suddenly, I heard people shouting and l rushed to the place. That was when l saw there was fire and it was spreading fast," he explained.
Police control crowd
The Kotobabi District Police Commander, Mrs Elizabeth Danquah, told the Daily Graphic that the police received information on the fire outbreak about 8:30 p.m.
"While fighting the fire, we discovered that we had one casualty — a-year-old boy had been burnt to death,” she said.
She said because the structures at the place were mostly wooden, it was easy for the fire to spread.
She noted that it was important for people to provide access routes when they constructed their homes, adding, “Because of the nature of the structures here, we had difficulty accessing the place.”
Advice for the public
The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ASP) Mr Timothy Yoosa Bonga, who visited the scene yesterday morning, sympathised with the victims.
He said because the place was used as a workshop and residence, it was important for the people to be cautious when they used fire.
He advised the public not to leave naked fires after they had been used for cooking or other things but ensure such fires were completely put out.
"When you use a candle, it must have a stand made of metal or glass. Lit candles should not be left on the bare floor or on a carpet," Mr Bonga said.
Writer's email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh
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