The Ghana Fire Service has established that the March 2023 inferno that swept through the new Kejetia Market in Kumasi resulted from cooking at the market.

According to the Regional Fire Public Relations Officer, D.O.III Peter Addai, investigations conducted over the incident revealed that a trader was cooking in a nearby shop, which lit a material and torched one of the floors at the market. 

This was revealed by the Public Relations Officer for the Ashanti Regional Division of the service when he spoke on Luv FM.

“We are done with the investigations of the fire incident at the Kejetia market. The cause of the market was a trader who was cooking,” he told David Akuetteh - host of Luv in the morning.

He says despite efforts instituted to ban cooking, heating or any other related activity at the market facility, the traders continue to defy the rules.

He recounted a near-fire incident at the market.

“Another trader nearly set the Kejetia market again on fire in November using a heater to warm water. But this time it was only the kettle that got burnt,” he said.

On March 15, 2023, a section of the Kejetia market was torched by an inferno, leaving many victims distressed.

Property and wares running into millions of cedis were destroyed by the fire.

The fire incident is one of the over nine hundred cases recorded in the region from the beginning of the year to December 10, 2023.

The figure represents a 13.42% reduction on the number of cases (1,058) recorded under the same period in 2022.

Nine fatalities were recorded from these cases, although a reduction from the 15 lost lives in 2022. 

The estimated cost of damaged property also shot up astronomically in the year although a significant cost of salvaging property was made.

“Approximately GHS 226,701, 206.00 were lost as a result of these fire cases. Although there were losses we managed to salvage over GHS 370 million worth of properties as compared to the more than GHS 340 million recorded for last year,” he said.

Meanwhile, 55 cases of child burns were recorded at the Komfo Anokye Anokye Teaching Hospital in the last three months. 

They were caused by various activities including electrocution, splashing of soup and hot water, and other dangerously related

By far, six fire incidents have been recorded during the Christmas holidays. The figure is a reduction on the numbers recorded for the same period last.

With the harmattan setting in, the Ghana Fire Service is admonishing the public takes precautions during the season.