Asafo Market on fire again

There are chaotic scenes emerging from the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, as another outbreak of fire at the Asafo Market keeps the city awake.

This is the second fire at the market in less than three days.

Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor reports about 30 market stores in the midsection of the Market have gone up flames, the raging fire consuming wares with fury.

He said the efforts of firefighters are being greatly hampered because the area is largely inaccessible.

Firefighters had to use the upper terrace of a building under construction close to the fire scene to battle the inferno,

Plumes of smoke billowing from the fire worsened the poor visibility at the scene.

A firefighter nearly fell from the uncompleted building but he managed to cling on.

According to Erastus, scores of traders invaded the market carting their wares to safety, exacerbating the chaos on the humid Sunday night.

On Friday, a section of the Asafo Market caught fire destroying many market stalls.

The clothes section of the Kumasi central market also went up in flames  – the fire consumed entire shops – reducing them ashes.

Market fires especially in Ghana’s largest trading hub, Kumasi, are fairly common and often have serious consequences as many traders hardly insure their business.

The congested nature of the markets makes them prone to fires – the same factor which accounts for the inability of the fire service to battle these fires when they occur.