Fire Razes Timber Market

Fire yesterday burnt down at least 30 shops and their wares at the Timber Market near Agbogbloshie, Accra, in the early hours of yesterday. An eye witness, Kwame Osei, told The Finder in an interview that the fire started at about 1:30am at the side of the market near the wood and timber equipment dealers. �I brought water and we tried to quench it, but we realised it was too much,� he said. He said none of the people around had the phone number of the Fire Service so he had to go to the nearest fire station in a taxi. Kwame Osei praised the swiftness and creativity of the fire fighters, which he said was able to avert further damage. �They tried to enter, but the only way to this place was blocked by a trailer which was offloading wood,� he said. According to him, the fire fighters finally connected their hose over the roofs of other shops and were able put out the fire. �Everybody in the market is happy about how quickly they came and how skilful they were able to put out the fire. But for them what we would have witnessed here would not be pleasant,� he said. Mr Agyenim Boateng, a trader, who deals in wooden spare parts and machines, said he lost at least GH₵50,000 in the fire. �As you can see, everything has been reduced to rubbles. When my suppliers come what am I going to tell them?� he asked. He said he had no insurance and did not know what to do. The cause of the fire was not known, but some of the traders believed it could have been caused by a fufu seller nearby. When The Finder got to the scene, scores of traders were digging into the rubble to salvage some bolts, nuts and other metallic tools which were not completely burnt.