An alleged faulty electricity meter has been cited as the cause of the fire that tore through parts of the Kasoa New Market in the Awutu Senya East Municipality of the Central Region, destroying hundreds of shops.

The blaze, which broke out late at night, reduced more than 360 mini-stores to ashes, leaving scores of traders counting heavy losses.

Speaking in an interview with Adom News, a resident who assisted firefighters during the operation said the fire was believed to have started as a result of an electrical fault.

“What happened was because of a meter fault. The light blew, and if people were around at the time, they would have stopped it. But no one was there, and by the time we came, everything was already burnt. We are not thieves; we helped the fire officers,” he said.

Fire personnel later arrived at the scene and managed to bring the situation under control, but a large section of the market had already been destroyed by the time the blaze was extinguished.

The Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Philis Naa Koryoo Okunor, confirmed that 364 stores were affected, with losses estimated to run into millions of Ghana cedis.

“364 stores were affected, and in terms of the money involved, I cannot state the exact amount yet. The market women and the leadership of those affected will meet and inform us about the extent of the damage,” she said.

She added that a clearer picture of the losses was expected by the close of the day. “I am sure by close of day, we will know the value of what was lost and also see how we can support them,” she stated.

On the way forward, the MP stressed the need to improve access routes within the market.

“The next step is to clear pathways in the market, which is very important. The fire has gone down, and we are appealing to the market women to remain calm and allow things to settle,” she said.

Ms Okunor also commented on reports that some fire officers allegedly assaulted civilians and a journalist during the incident, describing the situation as unfortunate.

“When I arrived and watched the video, I found the incident very unfortunate. I have already spoken to Sammy Adom, who told me he was at the police station giving his statement,” she noted.

She said she advised the journalist to complete his statement and assured him she would personally follow up on the matter.

“I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he told me it was not a medical issue. As a media practitioner myself, I may feel a natural bias towards colleagues in the media, but I will not allow any harm to come to a journalist,” she said.

Ms Okunor added that she was relieved the journalist was not injured and pledged to engage the Ghana National Fire Service to establish what led to the incident.

“I will engage the fire service personnel to understand what led to the incident. Some of the reports circulating in the media are unfortunate, and we need clarity on what really happened,” she said.

She appealed to the youth and residents of Kasoa to remain calm and support efforts to restore order.

“I am appealing to the youth to forgive one another and support efforts to resolve this matter so that Kasoa can become a better place. The current atmosphere is not healthy, and everyone must stay calm and cooperate to help bring the situation under control.”