Traders count losses after fire destroys shops at Morro Market in Kumasi

Traders are counting their losses after a major fire swept through Morro Market at Tafo in Kumasi on Sunday night, destroying more than 20 stalls and a chop bar.

The fire is reported to have destroyed millions of cedis worth of footwear, leaving affected traders in despair.

Morro Market is one of the biggest and most popular footwear markets in Kumasi, where thousands of traders depend on their daily sales for survival.

Speaking to some eyewitnesses, they said the fire started from a chop bar in the market before spreading to at least 20 stalls and some containers before the arrival of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).

“We do not know the actual cause of the fire, but we suspect there might have been a gas explosion from the chop bar. We heard frequent sounds of explosions, but only the Fire Service can establish the cause through its investigations,” one eyewitness said.

The eyewitnesses added that the timely intervention of the Fire Service prevented the fire from spreading to more stalls, warning that the situation could have been worse if firefighters had not arrived when they did.

One of the affected traders, Akwasi Boateng, said he had lost footwear worth about GH₵20,000 in the inferno.

“I have three stalls and one container, and they have all been burnt. This has brought me back to square one in life,” he said.

He appealed to the government and other relevant authorities to come to the aid of the affected traders to enable them to recover from their losses and restart their businesses.

Meanwhile, the Ghana National Fire Service has commenced investigations into the incident to establish the cause of the fire.