Police in the Ashanti Region have apprehended five people in connection with an alleged assault on fire officers responding to a fire outbreak at the racecourse market on Monday, March 11, 2024.
The incident escalated when the suspects allegedly attacked the fire service personnel for arriving at the scene late.
As a result, one of the fire officers sustained injuries during the altercation, prompting the arrest of the five suspects.
The fire, which started around 1:am on Monday, quickly spread destroying items worth millions of Ghana cedis.
Approximately 180 container shops were engulfed by the flames, causing significant damage to property.
Traders at the market were left devastated as many were unable to salvage their items from the inferno.
Also, over 20 milling machines were destroyed in the blaze, exacerbating the losses incurred by the affected traders.
Fire Commander, Simon Ben Boadu of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Fire Station attributed the rapid spread of the fire to the attack on the fire crew.
He stressed the serious consequences of such violence during emergency response situations.
“Our preliminary investigations revealed that, the fire started from one of the corn mills, and because the shops are close, it spread to over 180 shops” he said.
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