A fire of exceptional magnitude ravaged the Kantamanto market in Accra, GhanaJanuary 2. This market, which is home to more than 30,000 traders and is one of the largest in West Africa, specialized in the sale of second-hand clothing, an activity which constituted an essential source of income for thousands of Ghanaians. The flames destroyed a large part of the stalls, causing considerable material losses and plunging many traders into a desperate situation. The exact causes of this fire are still unknown, but investigators are currently favoring the possibility of an electrical short circuit, although the hypothesis of arson has not been ruled out.
« It’s a disaster. We have not recorded any serious injuries, but the loss to the economy is enormous. 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”said Alex King Narteyspokesperson for the Ghana National Fire Fighting Service (GNFS), which deployed more than a dozen firefighting vehicles to bring the fire under control. It took firefighters several hours to bring the fire under control, but it was already too late to save most of the goods. The traders, often entire families who made a living from this activity, have lost everything and now find themselves without resources.
The Ghanaian authorities, through the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), have promised to investigate the causes of this fire and provide aid to the victims, but the traders are demanding rapid intervention to be able to rebuild their lives. According to the emergency services, losses in goods could amount to several millions in the local currency, a blow to the informal economy which represents a significant part of economic activity in Ghana.
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