Fire razes over 30 shops at Kumasi Central Market

Fire swept through more than 30 shops at the leather and footwear section of the Kumasi Central Market on Sunday evening, destroying properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis.  

Items including leathers, bags, shoes, slippers, and sandals were burnt in the blaze.

Traders at the leather and footwear section of the Kumasi Central Market have begun counting their losses after fire ravaged more than 30 shops during a visit by JoyNews to the scene Monday.

The National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO) visited the affected areas this morning to ascertain the extent of the damage.

Some affected victims who spoke to JoyNews’ Correspondent Prince Appiah narrated their ordeal and how much has been lost to the fire.

“I had stocked my shop with leather. Everything has been destroyed. I had no access to salvage any on my items.”

“I brought restocked my shop just this Saturday with leather worth almost ¢30,000. I was at home when I received a call that my shop is on fire. I have lost everything,” another shared.

The Deputy Ashanti Fire officer, ACFO Henry Giwah revealed that fire personnel had diffficulty in dousing the fire due to the materials set ablaze.

He indicated that investigations are presently ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Although the cause of the fire remains unknown, affected shop owners are pointing to the unplanned and unstable power cuts as the reason for the fire outbreak.