Blame Circle fire for Wednesday’s blackout in parts of Accra – GRIDCo

The Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) has attributed the power outages experienced in parts of Accra, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, to the fire outbreak that occurred at ECOMOG, Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

The company in a statement issued on Thursday, June 6, 2024, indicated that the intensity of the fire caused parts of the transmission line to burn and snap.

According to GRIDCo, the affected line has been isolated for safety reasons to prevent the risk of electrocution.

“The Ghana Grid Company LTD. (GRIDCo) informs the public of an outage to the 161kV Achimota to Accra Central Transmission line and conductors, following a fire outbreak at the Nkrumah Circle Rail line on Wednesday 5th June 2024.

“….Due to the outage on the Achimota – Accra Central Transmission Line, residents in Accra Central and its environs are without power supply,” excerpts of the statement noted.

The company further apologised for the inconvenience caused and assured that “work is ongoing to restore power to affected areas by close of day today, June 6, 2024, while other rehabilitation works for the line continues”.

Find the full statement below;

On Wednesday, a fire at ECOMOG, Kwame Nkrumah Circle destroyed wooden structures near the railway line, causing a power outage in Adabraka, New Town, and surrounding areas.

This is the second fire in that area in two years, following a similar incident in February 2022 that led to an unsuccessful evacuation order.

In response, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Titus Glover visited the area and issued a stern warning to settlers against rebuilding their structures.

He stated that anyone attempting to rebuild would be arrested and assured that enforcement measures would be in place to ensure compliance.

“We don’t want to have any third fire; therefore, they should prepare to leave. We will make sure we put men on the ground to ensure nobody lives here. Anyone who tries to build will be arrested,” he cautioned.