Massive fire ravages warehouses, makeshift structures at Avenor – 2 Feared dead

After more than eight hours of raging fire at the North Industrial Area, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and other security officers managed to confine the inferno to protect lives and adjoining properties.

The fire, which started at about 7 a.m. yesterday from wooden structures located between Ashfoam Ghana, a mattress and furniture manufacturing company, and Duraplast Limited, a plastics products manufacturer, quickly spread to parts of the Duraplast facility, destroying a number of structures and items.

Two people are feared dead as a result of the fire, a suspicion the rescue operators were yet to confirm as of the time of going to press.

Eyewitnesses said the fire was suspected to have started after a small gas cylinder being used by one of the squatters in the area exploded.

The intensity of the fire sent thick plumes of smoke into the atmosphere and threatened nearby structures and businesses.

Dozens of fire engines and private water tankers were deployed to the scene to fight the fire.

Personnel from the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the National Ambulance Service, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and other local assemblies also joined the emergency response.

Squatters and residents close to the affected area were evacuated to safer locations to allow firefighters and other security personnel to operate.

The 48 Engineer Regiment of the GAF was also deployed to demolish some structures around the area to create access for fire engines to reach the eye of the fire and facilitate the firefighting efforts.

A member of the Public Relations Department of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), ADO1 Alex King Nartey, said a team was initially dispatched from the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange Fire Station and arrived at the scene promptly, but its access to the fire front was severely impeded.

Plumes of smoke at the North Industrial Area

He said numerous trucks parked along the road also prevented the fire service from gaining direct access to the affected area, forcing the team to take a longer route to the end of the road before approaching the scene from the rear.

“Our priority was to make sure that the fire does not spread beyond where it started. Unfortunately, whenever there is a fire outbreak, there will be some damage, but our wish is to minimise the extent of the damage,” he said.

ADO1 Nartey said warehouses located close to the affected structures contained large quantities of high-capacity plastic water tanks and other combustible materials that could have fuelled the fire if it had spread further.

The fire officer said the firefighters were able to salvage some items from nearby warehouses, and added that the value of property saved was significant.

“The items that got burnt included water tanks, a lot of plastic materials and finished products.

There were also cables and cable insulation materials,” he said.

The Commanding Officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the GAF, Lt Col Frank Osei Amponsah, said the unit was deployed to the scene to create access for fire engines and support the emergency response.

Plumes of smoke at the North Industrial Area

He said the regiment, which had expertise in engineering and disaster response operations, received information about the fire around 8 a.m. and immediately mobilised personnel and equipment to the area.

Lt. Col. Amponsah said temporary structures had obstructed the movement of fire engines, making it necessary for the military to clear them to enable the firefighters to reach the affected areas.

The Commanding Officer said the coordinated efforts of the various agencies yielded positive results.

The Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, commended the security personnel for their coordinated response that had helped contain the situation.

He said the demolition of the structures was necessary to create access for fire engines, and gave assurances that the squatters would not be allowed to return to the area.

Mr Allotey added that efforts would soon begin to clear the debris.