By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
A timely intervention by the Ghana National Fire Service in the Ashanti region led by its Regional Commander, ACFO 1 Peter Tetteh, proved decisive in preventing what could have been a catastrophic fire disaster in Kumasi on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 in which the lives of some firefighters and members of the public were threatened.
The fire was detected from one of the chain shops on the ground floor of one of the storey building in the prime area of Adum, where mobile phones, electronic gadgets, home appliances and clothes are sold. An eye witness, a waste collector of the KMA’s Waste Management Department, Kwaku Okyere, was among those who detected the fire and recounts what happened.
“Around 7 am while we were collecting waste, there was a power outage, and immediately after the light was restored, there was fire inside one of the shops and smoke began billowing with the flames raging from one of the ceilings, intensifying thereafter”, Kwaku Okyere, narrated to GBC.
But for the timely arrival and intervention by the Fire Service, which deployed two tenders and a water tanker to the scene, the number of the shops and their contents, some of which also were used as stores for safekeeping of the wares, particularly mobile phones, could have been more than five.
One of the affected shop operators is Abraham Kwaku Marfo, who shared with GBC his losses.
He noted “we store our wares inside too. Phones, clothes, speakers and others. By the time I arrived here I had lost almost everything.”
It took the Fire Service, with the support of shop staff and other concerned members of the public a hectic time to handle the fire.
In trying to control the raging fire and because of the nature of it coupled with the vicinity, some of the fire fighters faced life threatening moments when they had to be rescued from deep inside the burning shops where they were suffocating.
The Landlord, Simon Obeng Frimpong, said he has insured the building against such disasters but could not confirm the same for the shops. He said but for the bravery of the Fire Service personnel, the destruction from the fire outbreak could have been worse.
“Workers in the Pat Thomas Phone’s shop were trying to put on the generator but when the lights came on suddenly, it started the fire. We then had to call the Fire Service and they responded swiftly. In fact, they have done very well. But how the shop owners had arranged their wares inside the shops is impeding fighting of the fire but they have not given up,” Mr. Frimpong said.
In about two hours, the raging fire was brought under control, preventing it from spreading to adjoining shops, including to the top floors of the storey building which houses a private basic school.
The Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, ACFO 1, Peter Tetteh, expressed serious concern about the lack of access to the premises in such a prime vicinity and called on the city authorities to act swiftly to avert any major but avoidable disaster in the future.
“What we’ve seen about this fire is the way the shops have been partitioned, it’s very very bad. You have a staircase to the top but the stair case is not visible It becomes very difficult for us to access the next level. Please, safety must be very paramount. It’s not about fire extinguisher or putting in fire detectors in the room, but accessibility. We’ve to have free access to wherever in the building. What we’re seeing here now is not the case. It has made our fire fighting job difficult”, ACFO1 Tetteh cautioned.
Meanwhile, the swift deployment of police personnel to the scene helped to prevent what could have been a windfall for thieves and looters, especially as the wares affected were mobile phones, computers and their accessories.
