A late-night fire outbreak at a section of the Nima Market has destroyed several wooden structures and goods belonging to traders, although no casualties were recorded.
The Ghana National Fire Service said the fire broke out on Monday night and spread quickly through parts of the busy trading enclave before firefighters managed to contain the blaze.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Service disclosed that it received a distress call at 10:38 p.m., prompting an immediate response from personnel at the National Headquarters.
The first fire crew, led by Assistant Divisional Officer I Ahoni, reportedly arrived at the scene within 10 minutes to begin firefighting operations.
Additional support teams from the Circle and Parliament fire stations later joined efforts to bring the fire under control at about 11:21 p.m., with full extinguishing achieved at approximately 1:44 a.m.
According to preliminary investigations by the Fire Service, the incident is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault, although investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause.
The GNFS said 10 wooden structures together with their contents were completely destroyed by the fire. However, firefighters succeeded in preventing the flames from spreading to adjoining structures within the market.
“Fortunately, no casualties were recorded,” the statement noted, while acknowledging the support provided by the Electricity Company of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service during the emergency operation.
The fire outbreak caused panic among traders and residents in the area as thick smoke and flames engulfed parts of the market late into the night.
By Tuesday morning, several affected traders had returned to the scene to assess the damage and salvage items that survived the inferno. Some traders were seen sifting through debris and retrieving partially burnt goods from destroyed stalls.
The latest incident has renewed concerns over recurring market fires in Accra, with many traders continuing to suffer significant financial losses due to frequent outbreaks linked to electrical faults and inadequate fire safety measures.