Fire At Manhyia North

A sunday afternoon blaze has consumed about 17 structures at Yenyawoso, in the Manhyia North Constituency of the Ashanti Region, leaving scores of people homeless.

Residents of the area, who are mostly squatters that have migrated from the northern parts of Ghana to Kumasi in search of greener pastures, have lost their livelihoods, properties and in some instances, physical cash to the inferno.

What resulted in the inferno was not immediately known. But eye witnesses said the fire traveled at top speed and consumed everything that it came into contact with.

Personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), who quickly responded to a distress call, reportedly, worked above themselves in order to douse the inferno on time.

According to the people at the scene, the fire had consumed the wooden structures in the area and it (fire) was on the brink of torching a nearby house.

The fire fighters, who exhibited professionalism, managed to quench the blaze on time, thereby preventing the inferno from extending and causing more havoc in the area.

However, the inhabitants of the 17 destroyed structures lost all their belongings including clothes, footwear, furniture and other valuable items including money.

When The New Publisher visited the disaster scene, the affected people were seen wailing openly and begging the appropriate state authorities to come and assist them.

One of the victims, identified as Akosua, said they had closed form church and were preparing food for dinner when suddenly the fire started from one room.

She said people at the scene, notably the energetic young boys, tried in vain to douse the fire due to the dryness of the weather, adding that it took the intervention of fire fighters to put out the fire.