GNFS contains late-night fire at Nima Market, no casualties recorded

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed that a late-night fire outbreak at a section of the Nima Market was successfully contained without any loss of life, although several wooden structures and goods belonging to traders were destroyed.

In a statement issued on Tuesday through its official Facebook page, the GNFS said the fire broke out on Monday night and rapidly spread through parts of the busy commercial area before firefighters brought the situation under control.

According to the Service, the distress call was received at 10:38 p.m., with the first response team from the National Headquarters arriving at the scene within 10 minutes under the leadership of Assistant Divisional Officer I Ahoni.

Firefighters battled the blaze with support from crews from the Circle and Parliament fire stations, eventually bringing the fire under control at 11:21 p.m. before fully extinguishing it at 1:44 a.m.

Preliminary investigations by the GNFS suggest that the fire may have been caused by an electrical fault, although officials say further assessments are ongoing.

The Service disclosed that 10 wooden structures and their contents were completely destroyed in the incident, but several nearby structures were successfully protected from the flames through rapid intervention by emergency responders.

“Fortunately, no casualties were recorded,” the GNFS stated, while commending personnel of the Electricity Company of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service for assisting with operations during the emergency.

The fire outbreak triggered panic among traders and residents around the market as flames engulfed parts of the trading area late into the night.

By Tuesday morning, affected traders had returned to the scene to assess the extent of the damage and salvage items that survived the blaze. Some were seen sorting through debris and retrieving partially burnt goods from damaged stalls.

The incident has once again renewed concerns over recurring market fires in Accra, which continue to leave traders counting heavy financial losses and raise questions about electrical safety and fire prevention measures in commercial centres.