Traders in Sunyani’s central business district are counting their losses after a fire destroyed several shops early Monday morning.

The blaze, which started around 0800 hours, left shop owners in despair as it rapidly spread through a compound house housing multiple businesses. While many were yet to arrive at their stores, those present attempted to salvage what they could.

Achie’s Hardware, a dealer in building and construction materials, suffered the most significant damage, with buckets of paint exploding amidst the chaos, according to eyewitnesses.

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service eventually arrived and brought the fire under control. However, bystanders expressed concern over the limited resources deployed.

“If they had brought two or three fire tenders, the inferno wouldn’t have spread to the other shops,” Kofi Yeboah, an eyewitness, stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but initial reports suggest a possible leak from a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder used by one of the shop owners. Thankfully, the GNA reports no casualties were recorded.

The incident has raised questions about fire safety measures in the Sunyani CBD and the adequacy of the Fire Service’s response capacity.

Image Source: MYJOYONLINE