A fire outbreak that occurred at a cluster of mechanic shops at Sofoline in the Kwadaso Municipality in the Ashanti Region has left at least 34 vehicles under repair completely burnt.
The fire incident, which happened last Sunday, according to an eye witness, started around 7p.m. when fire was spotted in one of the shops and quickly spread to other adjoining shops.
The intensity of the fire and the combustible nature of some of the items in the mechanic shop was said to have contributed to the outbreak.
Although personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) upon receiving a distress call, rushed to the scene to douse the fire, it took them at least four hours to bring the situation under control.
Fortunately, no casualty was recorded but several vehicles belonging to clients were destroyed.
Visit
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, yesterday led members of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to visit the scene to assess the extent of the damage and to sympathise with the affected people.
Some mechanics trying to salvage some items after the fire was brought under control
He commended the GNFS, the Ghana Police Service, and all security agencies for their swift response, and also thanked the Municipal Chief Executive for Kwadaso, Eric Asibey, for his leadership in dealing with the incident.
“I urge everyone to take fire safety seriously by avoiding electrical overload, switching off appliances when not in use, handling gas safely, and reporting faulty wiring promptly” he stated.
He stated that preliminary reports indicated that 34 vehicles and 24 shops were affected and stressed that the officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) were currently assessing the incident to get the full extent of the losses.
Fire at mechanic shops
Every now and then, fire outbreaks impact mechanic shops, particularly within the Suame Industrial enclave, Ashanti Region’s largest auto-mechanic and trading centre, due to the many highly combustible items in the area.
On January 29 last year, a devastating fire gutted a section of the Suame Garages in Kumasi, leaving several spare parts dealers and artisans counting their losses.
The inferno destroyed about 25 spare parts shops and 34 vehicles, including buses and salon cars parked at a workshop, reducing properties worth millions of cedis to ashes.
The fire was reported to have started at about 10 p.m. from one of the shops in the area, which had developed an electrical fault.
Also, three years ago, about 15 shops at the Mechanic shops at Zone 13 of the enclave were destroyed following a fire incident.
Again in 2018, an area of the industrial enclave caught fire, burning 14 shops to ashes.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh