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A catastrophic overnight blaze ravaged a slum settlement adjacent to Asoprochona railway station in Sakumono, displacing hundreds and reducing scores of improvised dwellings to ashes.
The fire, believed to have ignited at approximately 7:00 p.m., rapidly consumed the densely clustered wooden dwellings. Highly combustible materials and the settlement’s cramped conditions created ideal conditions for the flames to spread uncontrollably, giving residents minimal opportunity to evacuate.
Chaos erupted as terrified residents – predominantly women and children – scrambled to escape the advancing flames. ‘It was pure pandemonium,’ one survivor recounted. ‘People were screaming, grabbing children, and fleeing with whatever they could carry as the inferno overtook homes in minutes.
The fire impacted approximately 4,000 square meters of densely populated settlement, home to numerous multi-generational families. Post-blaze assessments revealed a landscape of scorched ruins – warped roofing sheets, carbonized wooden beams, and mounds of gray ash where homes once stood.
The Ghana National Fire Service mounted a multi-station response to the disaster, deploying four firefighting units from Tema, Nungua and Spintex under the command of Tema Regional Operations Officer DO II Fiifi Oppong. Crews required approximately 120 minutes of sustained fire suppression efforts to fully contain the blaze.
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Under the dim glow of streetlights, shell-shocked families clustered outside the church gates – some silently staring at nothing, others desperately sifting through the still-smoldering ruins, hoping to find fragments of their former lives.
Authorities have not yet established the official cause of the fire. While Ghana National Fire Service investigators are preparing to commence their inquiry, preliminary speculation among affected residents points to possible electrical malfunctions or uncontained cooking flames as potential ignition sources.
The tragedy has intensified demands for enhanced fire safety regulations and upgraded housing infrastructure in Ghana’s informal settlements, where densely packed, combustible dwellings create persistent risks for marginalized communities.”
