A fire outbreak at the Aboabo Market in Tamale has destroyed hundreds of bags of grains and agro products worth thousands of cedis.

The fire which started around 4:30 in the early hours of this morning razed down four grains stores and the store with knapsack spraying machines.

It took the fire services close to three hours to bring the fire under control and to stop it from spreading to other parts of the market.

The Northern Region has recorded 45 fire outbreaks in the first two weeks of January.

Speaking to Joynews, the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Fire Service Baba Hudu said they received a distress call at 5:15 that the Aboabo Market was on fire and a team was dispatched to the scene.

He said the Sagnarigu Fire team was the first to be dispatched but the severity of the outbreak compelled them to dispatch three other teams from the other substations to help.

Mr Hudu said they had to bring all the five fire tenders to the scene to douse the fire.

”What this means is that if there is a fire outbreak at any other place it’ll be difficult for them to attend and it's because the water tenders are here, “ he said.

He said even though there are two water hydrants in the area all have been sealed off by the Ghana Water Company adding that if the hydrants were flowing they would have needed only two fire tenders and the water supply to bring the situation under control.

Mr. Hudu said the Ghana Water Company has sealed all the water hydrants in the city except one.

He added that whenever there is a fire outbreak, they seek permission from the Ghana Water Company Ltd to open it before they can have access to the water to put off fires.

Mr Hudu expressed worry over increased fire outbreaks in the region something he described as alarming.

"Just the first two weeks of January we have recorded 45 fires and the remaining two weeks haven’t even been added “. Mr Hudu noted.

He said millet, rice soya beans shea nuts among others were some of the products that got burnt.

He attributed the fire to a possible electric problem.

“When you look at the first store that the fire started you realize that the sockets was where the fire started from, we are suspecting intermittent power outage and when it comes with power the cable cannot withstand and so can burst into flames, “ Mr. Hudu said.

The Super Market Rice, Corn, and Soya beans Buyers Association Chairman Alhaji Alhassan Zakaria blamed the Tamale Metro Assembly for not living up to its task and responsibility.

He said the stores were rented to them at 1,000 Cedis and they had to build and wire the stores themselves, adding that when they approach the assembly to allow a certified institution like VRA to do the wiring, the assembly declined.

“We are suffering too much, the assembly is just chopping the money and not working, because the lights we went to them and said they should wire the market for us, they refuse. They rather said everybody should do his or her wiring, so if I do mine, this man does his own it won’t match that is why there is damage in the market,” he said

Another trader Rashida Fuseini said someone called to inform about the fire outbreak but when she got to the market she realized a new consignment of grains they offloaded yesterday have been burnt.

She said they offloaded 100bags of rice, 50 bags of soya beans, and 30 bags of paddy rice.

She appealed to the government to come to their aid.