A major fire outbreak has destroyed more than 50 makeshift shops and apartments around the Royal VVIP Bus Terminal near the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange in Accra.
The blaze, which occurred on Tuesday morning, is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault, according to preliminary assessments. Properties worth millions of cedis were lost in the incident.
Eyewitnesses said the fire started around 10:00 a.m., with flames rapidly spreading through rows of container shops, many of which housed mobile phone accessories, electronics, and other combustible materials.
“We just saw smoke coming from one of the containers, and within minutes, the whole line was on fire,” a distressed trader recounted.
Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were deployed to the scene, with four fire engines battling the inferno for several hours. However, efforts to contain the blaze were hampered by the rapid spread of the fire and the highly flammable materials stored in the affected structures.
Despite the scale of destruction, no casualties have been reported. Authorities say assessment of the damage is still ongoing.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Klotey Korle Municipal Assembly are currently at the scene, coordinating relief efforts for affected traders and investigating the exact cause of the fire.
The incident adds to growing concerns about fire safety in densely populated commercial areas in Accra, particularly where makeshift structures and poor electrical installations are common.
