Ghana:  Prez Mills has assured Victims Of the Makola Market Fire

President John Evans Atta Mills has assured traders at the Agbogloshie-Makola market who lost their items in Thursday’s inferno that government will initiate a process to give them some respite.



Items running into several thousands of Ghana cedis were destroyed. The blaze according eyewitnesses started at about 6.30pm on Thursday November 19. The main gates to the market were locked at the time of the fire outbreak, making it difficult for fire tenders from the Ghana National Fire Service to gain access to control the fire.



It took several hours for personnel of the Fire Service to break through the market gates but lack of fire hydrants exacerbated their efforts to fight the fire. The cause of the fire is unknown but eyewitnesses attribute it to erratic power outage in the area.



President Mills on Friday visited the scene to commiserate with the victims and promised them government’s assistance. “I know the fire outbreak is a bother to all of us so I came to assure you that we will investigate to know what exactly happened. But I am appealing to the NADMO, AMA, and the Regional Coordinating Council to assist you. We as a Government will not turn our back on you. I know that most of you are wailing and weeping because you have lost your capital completely. So we will do whatever we can to help you” he assured.



The Acting Chief Fire Officer, Brown Gaisie has told Citi News communication gadgets must be made available to security guards at the various market places to ensure effective response by fire officers in times of emergencies. He also expressed concern about poor occupancy and housekeeping in the country’s markets. He cited an example where gas cylinders are mixed with other highly burnable materials.