Slum dwellers at the Dagomba Line community in the Kumasi metropolis are actively rebuilding their homes after a devastating fire tore through the vicinity on Easter Monday, forcing them to spend the night in the open.
The inferno razed wooden structures that served as makeshift homes, mainly for metal scrap dealers and head porters.
The fire is the third incident to hit the densely populated settlement at Afful-Nkwanta this year, despite the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly promising a comprehensive investigation to end the perennial fires.
The fire is believed to have started at about 4:30 am on Monday, with officials yet to establish the cause of the blaze.
Over 250 wooden shacks erected along the stretch were engulfed by the fire, rendering the victims, including young women, children and men, homeless.
No casualties were recorded, as some victims suspected arson.
Jibrin Nasiru is a leader in the community.
“It happened very early in the morning, around 4:30 a.m. People were shouting that there was a fire, and we woke up to find our homes engulfed in flames.
We tried our best to control it, and within a few minutes, the fire service arrived and helped bring the fire under control”.
Properties worth thousands of cedis, including personal belongings, were destroyed by the blaze.
The slum is an abode for the youth who migrated from the northern part of the country in search of job opportunities down south.
“Everyone puts up structures anywhere, so the place is congested. It’s worrying, but we have no option; we need proper management and guidelines that would enable us to put up the structures to avoid all these,” another victim, Mahammud Bawah Zakaria, said.
The recent fire is the third to hit the area following a double blaze witnessed within a two-week period in January this year.
Visiting the area after the earlier fire event, Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyeman-Boadi assured of investigations to end the perennial fires.
However, JoyNews checks reveal the office is yet to present a report and a roadmap for reconstruction works in the enclave.
When the news team visited the scene after the unfortunate incident, the residents had begun clearing debris as they attempted to rebuild their homes.
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Source:
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