Fire outbreak at Kumasi Central Market

Picture shows a trader going through the debris after the outbreak
Fire gutted parts of the Kumasi Central Market on Friday night and destroyed property estimated at billions of cedis.
The extent of the destruction caused by the blaze was generally considered as unprecedented in the history of fire outbreaks associated with the central market.
The fire, which started at about 9:30pm on Friday, left in its trail nothing but ashes.
Although the Fire Service officers got to the scene on time, they could not fight the fire due because they could not get access to the fire scene.
Picture shows Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Osei Assibey-Antwi (in green cup) and Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Patricia Appiagyei(in black cup and shirt). This was when they visited the burnt area of the market together with other officials of the metropolitan assembly to sympathise with the victims of the fire outbreak.

They eventually had to clear structures (other shops) to be able to get to the scene and
it took them a whole night to bring the fire under control.
The cause of the fire was yet to be determined as the security services were still investigating the outbreak.
Looters had a field day as the fire raged on but the police managed to arrest six people who have been placed in custody.
The security officers, however, had a hectic time trying to control a large crowd, which gathered at the scene. Some of them were traders who had rushed from their homes with the intention of salvaging their goods.
Pix. Traders going through the debris after the outbreak.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Osei Assibey-Antwi, the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Madam Patricia Appiagyei, and other officials visited the market to console the victims.
The hardest hit areas were leather dealers, shoe makers and pepper sellers.
One young man, Kwame Alfred told the Daily Graphic that he had lost his investment of about ¢10million and had no idea of how he was going to get back into business.
Others, mostly young men, also complained of losing investments running into hundreds of millions of cedis.
Those who did not hear of the fire outbreak in the night but only went to the market on Saturday morning with the intention of going to do business broke down in tears upon seeing what had happened.

The issue of failure to insure businesses had come up for discussion in the metropolis in recent times, and the general consensus was that people must insure their businesses.

Getting access to the market in times of fire outbreaks had also been a major topic of concern and the KMA had been persistently urged to take up the matter.
Some traders accused the market manager of allowing certain traders to use tables in certain areas which blocked access routes.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister expressed concern about the number of highly inflammable equipment in the market, which was a contributory factor to the fire outbreak.Picture shows Osei Assibey-Antwi (in green cup) with Patricia Appiagyei (in black shirt and black cup) at the burnt area in the market.