The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has condemned the growing practice of converting residential properties into warehouses, calling it “very wrong” and a key factor behind Tuesday’s devastating fire in Lartebiokorshie, Accra.
Divisional Officer II Desmond Ackah, Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, explained on the Asaase Breakfast Show that the warehouse was dangerously packed with leather shoes, sandals, and rubber footwear.
“It took us barely nine minutes to arrive at the scene, but the fire had already gotten out of hand,” he said, blaming poor housekeeping practices for the rapid spread of the blaze.
The fire, reported around 12:15 pm, left two firefighters and one civilian injured, destroyed a parked vehicle, and gutted both the warehouse and a shed in front of it. Fortunately, adjoining structures were saved.
Ackah confirmed that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the facility was certified, while the GNFS pushes for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations to curb such risky practices.
