Fire destroys over 800 structures at Old Fadama, leaves thousands homeless
Over 800 hundred wooden structures which served as residences for squatters at Old Fadama in Accra were razed down by fire Tuesday dawn.
The fire, according to eyewitnesses, started at about 2 am.
The situation has left thousands of slum dwellers in the area homeless.
The inferno gutted several properties running into thousands of Ghana cedis.
The fire spread quickly to other parts of the area as most of the structures in the area were wooden.
Most residents who could not salvage any of their wares have appealed to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other benevolent individuals to come to their aid.
No casualties were recorded and the cause of the fire outbreak is unknown.
Some of the affected persons accused personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) of arriving at the scene with empty fire tenders.
According to the squatters, the lackadaisical attitude of the fire service personnel contributed to the wild spread of the fire.
Old Fadama is an urban slum area hosting most of Accra’s marginalised economic classes, including head potters(kayayei), mechanics and traders.
I mostly feel back if issues relating to fire fighting are put out without further cross checking. Why should firefighters move to a fire scene without water, it’s will never happen. The writers should make themselves available to also learn some few things about the dynamics of fire so that they will know whether firefighters are performing or not