A young business woman collapsed from shock after witnessing a scene which she could not bear.
The young woman, an owner of a textile shop in the Lapaz Market collapsed after she got to the scene of her shop which had been burnt to ashes.
The fire is reported to have started on the top floor of her shop’s building, consumed bedding materials and goods worth millions of cedis. The victim, a young woman, upon collapsing was rushed to the Lapaz Community Hospital.
Firefighters from the Abelemkpe branch of the Ghana National Fire Service responded promptly and managed to prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby shops.
The victim’s mother, who co-owns the shop, said she was on the ground floor when her grandchild raised the alarm about the fire.
Speaking to Channel One News, ADO I Emmanuel Akwetey, Operations Officer at the Abelenkpe GNFS, said the cause of the fire remains unknown. He added that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.
“We tried our best to ensure the fire doesn’t extend to adjoining shops. Our men are still in there conducting investigations, so at the appropriate time, the owner will be invited to our station for the report,” he said.
The nation has suffered many unfortunate fire outbreaks in the year 2025. The first fires engulfed the Kantamanto market in the first week of January, with the Adum PZ market also suffering the same fate recently.
Up until now, the Ghana Fire Service has been unable to indicate the cause of these fires.
To support fire victims in these major markets, government and private individuals have provided some relief in terms of cash and resources to help victims get back on their feet.
Recently, the Minority caucus in parliament has donated GHS200,000 as part of relief measures for victims of the Kantamanto Market fire outbreak.
During a visit to the market in Accra on Tuesday, April 15, the Minority Caucus, led by its leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, called on the government to access funds from the Contingency Fund to provide additional support to affected traders.
“We appeal to the government to come to your aid. Recently, we approved the budget, and we are aware that the contingency fund is available to assist in times of crisis.
“We also urge the companies from whom you have taken loans to consider the situation and reduce interest rates, giving traders some financial relief.
“This is GHS200,000, it is a modest contribution from us, the mighty minority, to support you,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
Their donation follows a similar one made to victims of the Adum PZ fire disaster in Kumasi.
At least 1,545 shops were destroyed after a fire erupted in the Kantamanto market area during the early hours of January 2, 2025.
The eyewitness account if true, goes to validate an earlier revelation from yawanews.com sources According to sources in Kantamanto, traders had previously received warnings of a potential attack during Ghana’s 2024 election period, prompting precautionary measures.
“When we were about to vote, we received intel about an attack on the market; so we even spoke to IGP Dampare to deploy police officers around the market to ensure safety. After the elections, we assumed the threat was over,” the source said.
