(Accra) A massive fire has burned Ghana’s main second-hand clothing market in the capital Accra to ashes, affecting thousands of traders and causing huge losses to the local economy, officials said.
Posted at 2:24 p.m.
The fire, which broke out late Wednesday evening, ravaged large parts of the West African country’s gigantic second-hand clothes market, the Kantamanto market, displacing thousands of traders, reported the country’s authorities in charge of disaster management.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) had to deploy thirteen firefighting vehicles to combat the disaster. On Thursday, smoking ruins had replaced the once bustling aisles of this market.
Hundreds of sellers, many of whom specialized in reselling second-hand clothing imported from abroad, now face an uncertain future.
According to the emergency services, the loss of goods is estimated at millions in the local currency.
PHOTO NIPAH DENNIS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
“It’s a disaster,” commented Alex King Nartey, spokesperson for the GNFS. “We have not recorded any seriously injured people, but the loss to the economy is enormous,” he lamented.
“According to the first elements of the investigation, an electrical fault could have caused the outbreak of the fire, but we do not exclude the possibility of arson,” he stressed to AFP.
According to the spokesperson, operations to completely extinguish the fire could continue until Friday.
The Kantamanto Thrift Market, home to over 30,000 traders and located in the heart of Accra’s business district, is a crucial source of income for many.
The Ghanaian government has not yet announced a formal response to this tragedy.
