A preliminary investigation has revealed a power outage ignited the inferno which swept through the Zone 21 Garage of the Suame Industrial enclave in Kumasi.
At least 25 shops, and 34 vehicles including 17 saloon cars, 9 minibuses, 8 heavy trucks, and a pickup were destroyed by the blazing fire on Friday night.
The affected shops specialized in battery servicing, welding, spraying, lubrication services, lathe machine operations, and other related activities.
Public Relations Officer of the Fire Service in Ashanti, D.O. II Peter Addai explains the fire was instigated by a spark from a service pole in the area after power was restored following an outage.
“There was light off around that area in the evening of Friday. When the light came back, there was some sparks in the service pole which is close to a workshop. When the spark fell on the shop and it started the fire and spread to other portions of that area,” he told David Akuetteh on Luv FM.
The fire then spread to other shops on the stretch due to the highly combustible products like oils flowing on the bare ground in the area.
“When the fire got to the shop, it burnt and the oil crossed the street to other vehicles and shops that were there and they also caught fire,” he said.
Only 15 fire tenders in 43 districts of Ashanti region
The region has in recent times seen fire incidents in its major markets including the Kejetia market, Asafo market, and Kwadaso wood market.
A 3-year-old was reported dead in a fire incident at Dagomba line, a suburb of the Asawase constituency.
The incidents to the 183 fire cases recorded in the region so far in 2025.
Meanwhile, the fire department is bemoaning the inadequate logistics to execute their duties as firefighters.
The Ashanti region currently has only 15 fire tenders working effectively in the 43 districts of the region.