Fire destroys parts of Makola shopping mall

There has been another fire outbreak at the Makola market in Accra, a month after a similar incident was recorded in the central business district.

The latest inferno gutted some parts of the inner perimeter of the new Makola shopping mall.

The building is made of shops occupied by traders who deal in hair and cosmetic products, clothes, shoes among others.

Eyewitnesses say the fire began at about 7:25 am on Sunday, August 15, 2021.

The cause of the fire is not immediately known, as fire officials are yet to brief the media on what might have led to the destruction.

Some fire engines have already been dispatched to the scene to douse the flames.

“This morning, we were going about our normal security patrol here when a colleague told me he was seeing smoke from the roof of the shopping mall. So I told the security personnel at the mall to check it. I personally tried calling the number of the Fire Service several times, but it was not going through. So we tried putting the fire off ourselves. 30 minutes later, the fire officers came in to control the fire. Accessing the exact spot of the fire has been difficult, but everything in there has been burnt. The flames have been controlled now, but there is a lot of smoke in the area”, an eyewitness said.

On July 5, 2021, fire gutted a three-story building at Makola.

It took days for personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service to bring the fire under control due to the lack of water hydrants in the area.