about 20 structures were razed to the ground when fire swept through Site One of Community One in Tema last Wednesday, rendering about 50 families homeless.
The site, which is one of the targeted areas by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) for redevelopment has its wooden houses clustered without space for easy access in times of disaster .
According to the Regional Public Relations Officer of the Tema Region of the Ghana Fire Service, Mr Prince Billy Anaglate, at about 8.48 p.m., the fire office received a call announcing a fire outbreak in the community.
He said when firemen got to the scene, the whole area had been engulfed by fire which was spreading fast.
Mr Anaglate said because of the intensity of the fire, the Trade Fair fire station was called to offer support.
He said it took the firemen 40 minutes to bring the situation under control.
Mr Anaglate said items burnt included electrical appliances, personal belongings, food vending structures, utensils and other wares meant for sale.
Some of the residents who lost their wares told the Daily Graphic that for sometime now they had been experiencing electrical shocks from their structures anytime it rained.
A baker, Auntie Attah, said once a young boy who was sent to buy bread from her had an electrical shock when he touched part of her structure.
She said they released him by hitting his hand with a piece of wood, after which the boy was sent to hospital.
Another resident, Mr James Afful, who runs a chop bar, said most of the houses had loose electrical wiring on the roof tops, which made the residents vulnerable to electric shocks.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Tema, Mr Kempes Ofosu-Ware, has visited the scene to console the victims.
He said the site was a temporary area which had become a permanent settlement and, therefore, promised to meet with the management of the TDC over its plans for the area.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment