A large-scale fire broke out in Katamanto in the early hours of Thursday, January 2, causing significant damage to over 100 shops and stores. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Alex King Nartey, the Public Relations Officer of the Fire Service, shared the challenges faced in responding to the disaster during an interview on Starr Midday News.
According to Mr. Nartey, it became clear that the fire was larger than anticipated, and additional support was required. The fire service deployed 13 fire tenders to the scene, but the lack of fire hydrants in the area complicated the situation.
Despite these challenges, the fire was eventually brought under control by late morning. However, Nartey emphasized that the limited number of fire tenders in Accra remains a critical issue.
The fire service is calling for increased investment in fire-fighting resources, including more fire tenders and better infrastructure, to ensure quicker and more effective responses in the future. Without such improvements, fighting large-scale fires could continue to pose a significant challenge.
“We don’t have enough fire tenders to tackle fire issues becomes a problem because to cease fire for instance, we have to marshal almost all the fire tenders in Accra to be able to fight fire. We marshalled over ten fire tenders in Accra but accessed only two. Moving forward if much more investment is given to the fire service, we should be able to fight more fire in the case where serious fires are developed at a go”, he expressed.
