Two persons injured as fire destroys part of Elmina fish market
Two persons were injured on Monday in an inferno, which burnt
fresh fish and property worth thousands of cedis in the
Elmina Fish Market, leaving fishmongers and fishermen devastated.
The fire engulfed a wooden shed where several drums
of premixed fuel are kept with fishing inputs.
One of the victims, whose injuries are severe, was rushed to
the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for treatment.
Mena Ekua, a fishmonger, who witnessed the incident told the
Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the fire started when premix
fuel being transferred into a canoe by some
fishermen got in contact with fire in a coal pot.
She said many of the people at the scene immediately
dived into the Benya Lagoon, which prevented
a possible high number of casualties.
Confirming the incident to the GNA in Cape Coast,
DOIII Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO)
of Ghana National Fire Service, said his office
received a call at about 1207 hours on the incident.
DOIII Hudu said the Elmina Fire station deployed a team to the
scene and reinforcement was later called in from
the University of Cape Coast (UCC) station.
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He said the fire destroyed huge quantities of fish,
about 10 drums of premix fuel, a canoe, a power
generator and other household items.
The PRO said due to the intensity of the inferno, some
firefighters were positioned at the nearby
Elmina Market Branch of the Kakum Rural Bank to protect it.
“Unfortunately, part of the roof of the bank is burnt and the
heat from the fire has affected the walls of the bank,” he said.
DOIII Hudu said the victim whose injuries were not severe,
told the team that they were transferring premix fuel into
their canoe when it suddenly caught fire,
engulfing the area within seconds.
He said the GNFS would commence investigation into
the cause of the incident tomorrow to identify the actual cause.
According to DOIII Hudu, there had been series of engagements
with the fishing communities, especially Elmina, about
the storage and safety of premix fuel, especially in Elmina.
Also, fire safety education had been organized
many times to help prevent these kind of incidents.
He urged the public to adhere to safety measures
in their homes and workplaces.