By Joyce Kantam Kolamong
About ten shops at the Aboabo market in the Tamale Metropolis of the Northern region were destroyed by fire January 29, 2022.
The fire which started in the early hours of today destroyed food stuffs and other valuables worth thousands of cedis.
It is unclear what started the fire, but some shop owners blamed the situation on the intermittent power fluctuations being experienced in the Metropolis.
Officials of the Ghana National Fire Service say the timely intervention of Personnel prevented the fire from escalating.
Joyce Kantam Kolamong reports that some of the foodstuffs destroyed by the fire include bags of maize, yams, beans, guinea corn and cassava flour among others. When the news team got to the scene, some of the distressed victims were salvaging what they could get from the debris.
They expressed displeasure about recent power fluctuations within the Metropolis. While counting their losses, the affected persons plead with the authorities for support.
The Northern Regional PRO of the Ghana National Fire Service, ADO2 Baba Hudu who briefed the media said but for the timely intervention of the Fire Officers, the inferno would have been much more devastating.
He expressed concern about the increasing rate of fire outbreaks in the Metropolis of late.
One set back to fighting fires in the region is the issue of defective fire hydrants. It was discovered that two fire hydrants at the market were not in good shape, so Fire Authorities were compelled to reschedule so they had to rely on private water tankers to douse the fire.
Today’s inferno brings to 47, the number of fire outbreaks recorded in the Tamale Metropolis since January 1, 2022.
Just three days ago, fire engulfed a 16-room compound house at Koblimango in Tamale.