Several traders at the Ofankor Market in the Ga North Municipality have been left in tears after a midnight fire ravaged parts of the market, destroying goods and properties worth thousands of cedis.

The blaze, which reportedly started around midnight, spread rapidly before firefighters arrived to contain it, completely razing dozens of shops and leaving victims in despair.

Many traders said they had closed for the day and gone home to rest, only to be awakened by news that their shops and livelihoods had been consumed by the fire.

“We closed and went home thinking everything was safe, only to wake up and hear that our shops are gone. We’ve lost everything. There’s no hope left,” a distraught trader told Adom News, sobbing uncontrollably.

The timing of the tragedy has worsened the pain for many parents as the new school term is about to begin.

“School is reopening and I don’t know how I will pay my children’s fees or even feed them. Everything I had is gone,” another devastated woman cried out.

One of the affected traders revealed that over 100 bags of maize were lost to the inferno, in addition to several corn mill machines, sewing machines, food vending equipment, and other wares.

“I had stocked over 100 bags of maize just last week. Everything has been reduced to ashes. Some of us even took loans to run our businesses. We are finished,” she lamented.

The traders are calling on government, municipal authorities, philanthropists, and well-meaning Ghanaians to urgently come to their aid.

“We can’t survive this alone. We need support – any form of help – to start over. We are appealing to the President, NADMO, NGOs, and anyone who can support us,” one trader appealed.

An eyewitness who lives near the market recounted how the fire began and praised the efforts of the Ghana National Fire Service to prevent further spread.

“By the time the fire service came in, the fire had already consumed several shops. They did their best to stop it from spreading further, but the damage had already been done,” he explained.