Personnel of the Fire Service say Tuesday night’s fire outbreak at Makola number 2 market could have been devastating but for their timely intervention. Rows of shops and properties got destroyed in the latest fire to have gutted a market in the capital. It is still not clear what started the fire but firemen hurried to the scene and tried for hours to control the raging inferno. The Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service Prince Billy Anaglate told Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah that but for their timely intervention, the situation could have spiralled out of control. Unlike recent fire outbreaks, he explained, this “would have been bigger than the Kantamato fire” since there were explosions. He added however that his team has been able to reduce the intensity of the fire. Meanwhile the Member of Parliament for Odododiodio, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye who was also at the scene, could not suppress his anger at the situation. Mr Vanderpuye said he strongly suspected sabotage by opposing elements who do not want the government to succeed. According to him, this was the sixth fire to destroy a market within the same vicinity in just a month. He wondered how this could be as a result of natural cause. “…My people cannot continue to endure this, this is cruel sabotage by cruel people,” Nii Lantey stated, asking “If it’s not sabotage what is it? What have the people of Odododiodio done?" Evoking curses on the alleged saboteurs, the MP asked God to punish those “behind these fires one by one...” As police personnel struggled to control traders who were trying in vain to salvage their wares, DSP Freeman Tetteh who speaks for the Greater Accra Police Command, urged for calm and restraint. On the issue of sabotage raised by the MP, he noted that the police “cannot talk about sabotage in any form” now that no investigations have been conducted. Some criminals who tried to take advantage of the situation were arrested.