4 DIE IN TEMA INFERNO (1B, SEPT 27, 2010)

FOUR died and a huge investment was destroyed on Saturday when fire engulfed the Midland International Company, an ethanol (alcohol) storage warehouse in the Tema Port area but outside the customs-bonded zone.
Also burnt were an alcohol discharging tanker truck with registration number GT 2193 W, which was discharging ethanol, a parked pickup, which was burnt beyond recognition, the offices and office equipment and some storage facilities.
The company, which has six huge tanks in which it stored imported ethanol for companies, including Kasapreko Company, an alcoholic beverage-producing company, caught fire late in the evening of Saturday, September 25, 2010, when contract welders and an engineer were working on one of the tanks.
The burnt bodies of three of the victims, who were welders, were recovered by the fire personnel. A fourth victim, the engineer, Mike Safo Mensah of M&S Engineering Company, who contracted the welders, was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition but died later in the night of Saturday.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene at about 5p.m. on Saturday, a burnt body of one of the victims had been recovered while the other two were recovered on Sunday morning about 8:30 a.m.
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic at the fire scene, a shivering and disturbed security officer of Midland, Mr James Arthur, who was on duty with another colleague at the time of the fire but escaped unhurt, said at about 4:15 p.m. on Saturday as the welders were working on the tanks by scrapping the rusts off the tanks and doing some welding maintenance, they heard a blast followed by fire.
He said all that they saw was fire blazing through the company’s yard, which they tried to put out. Mr Arthur said the fire became intense and they, therefore, made a distress call to various Fire Service centres, which acted promptly.
He said the victims could not escape because they were up on the tanks and needed to descend by a number of steps during which period the fire engulfed the ground area of the tank.
Mr Arthur confirmed that the company had eight huge tanks six of which contained alcohol and with two filled with water because of the explosive nature of the alcohol.
Mr Arthur also said the company had two main water hydrants which the Fire personnel used in putting out the fire. It took a combined team of fire personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service , Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Tema Oil Refinery Fire Brigade over six hours of vigorous fighting to bring the blazing fire under control.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service office in Tema, Mr Timothy Affum, said it took the personnel a hectic time to fight the fire because there was a leaking valve letting out alcohol, which countered the force of the water they used in putting out the fire.
He said there was no tall equipment to enable the fire fighters to control the fire from heights while the pressure from the hydrants was low and therefore could not shoot high.
Mr Affum said the fire was finally put out at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, noting that investigations would be conducted for the cause of the fire.
There were officials from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, led by the Director of Ports, Mr Richard Anamo, to ensure the safety of other warehouses in the area and to prevent the fire from spreading to affect other property in the area .
They were of the view that the welders probably tampered with some safety measures while welding or the leaking valve let out some alcohol that had contact with the welding fire.
The Public Relations Officer of the GPHA Headquarters, Ms Joana Addah, emphasised that the Midland International Ghana Ltd was located on the premises of the GPHA but outside the bonded area of the port.
She allayed the fears of importers who had their goods stocked in the port that the fire did not affect any imported consignment in the port.
Meanwhile importers continue to rush to the port to verify if their goods were affected.
The heavy presence of the police, the army and the navy was felt as they warded off people to safeguard life and property in the area.