ACCRA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday at a big market located in the central business district of Accra, Ghana's capital.
The fire, which erupted overnight, left widespread destruction, with traders scrambling to salvage their goods as the flames rapidly spread.
Eyewitnesses told local media that the fire broke out suddenly, with voices of people who first saw it screaming to draw attention to the inferno that ravaged numerous shops within the market.
The fire destroyed large portions of the Kantamanto Market, home to secondhand clothing, building materials, chemicals, paint, and furniture, among other things. Desperate traders were seen wailing at the loss of their wares while the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) tried to douse the flames.
Despite deploying at least 13 fire tenders, the GNFS still had difficulty dealing with the fast-spreading blaze with its intense ferocity, which consumed many structures within hours.
At a stage, residents joined in the fight with buckets and gallons of water and basic tools to augment the efforts by the GNFS in slowing down the spread of the fire.
"Per our evaluation, the fire has destroyed over 100 stores because many of them were closely situated by each other. So, once the fire catches one, the spread becomes easier," Alex King Nartey, a GNFS spokesperson, said.
Nartey explained that the proximity of the shops made it easier for the fire to spread faster, adding that the fire personnel had to make a quick decision to separate nearby structures from those already consumed by the fire to prevent the fire from spreading further.
He said the task became more daunting since there was no working fire hydrant in the market area, compelling the firefighters to leave the scene intermittently to replenish.
"But it is good that we have salvaged more shops than those the fire destroyed. Looking at the other buildings, we have been able to salvage them from the fire," the GNFS spokesman said, adding that investigations have been launched into the cause of the fire.
The Kantamanto Market, one of the largest in the country, serves as the source of livelihood for thousands of families and the source of wealth for parts of the business community.
