The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) says the absence of fire hydrants and the use of non-fire-rated materials severely hampered efforts to control the massive blaze that gutted the China City Mall in Kumasi on Thursday, October 30.
This was revealed by the Head of Public Relations of the GNFS, Divisional Officer (DO II) Desmond E. Ackah during an interview on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Friday, October 31.
According to him, the firefighting team struggled to get water on-site, forcing them to shuttle between nearby communities.
“The particular space had not gotten a fire hydrant. Therefore, the four tenders that we mobilised had to shuffle between various communities to get water.”
He noted that the timely intervention of the Kumasi Mayor, who mobilised additional water tankers, played a key role in containing the inferno. “Having gotten the three water tankers, it really helped in confining the fire to just the affected mall structure,” he added.
Mr. Ackah further revealed that the building’s construction materials intensified the fire, describing them as highly combustible and unsafe.
“Initially, because the materials used for construction were mixed and were not fire rated, it did not help our cause. At a point when we entered the building to do offensive firefighting, because of the highly combustible nature of the materials, we had to retreat with our men,” he said.
He emphasised that the decision to withdraw was necessary to prevent loss of life. “That was a very smart decision—other than that, we would have put our men and even the tenants in harm’s way.”
The blaze, which began around 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Santasi Star Junction branch of China City Mall, completely destroyed the building and goods worth thousands of cedis.
No casualties have been reported so far, but investigations into the cause of the fire are underway.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
