Fire has gutted several shops at the Suame industrial enclave in Kumasi late Friday night, January 31, leaving behind extensive destruction and losses worth millions of cedis.
The blaze, which broke out in the area known as “Garage,” quickly spread through the industrial hub, consuming vehicles, spare parts, and essential auto-mechanic equipment. Witnesses report that the fire started in one of the shops before rapidly engulfing adjacent establishments.
Firefighters responded with five fire tenders in a bid to control the inferno. Residents in the vicinity fled for safety as the flames illuminated the night sky.
Although the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, preliminary reports suggest an electrical fault may have ignited gas cylinders in one of the shops, triggering the widespread destruction.
Firefighters battled tirelessly to bring the situation under control, successfully extinguishing the flames after several hours. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported. However, business owners are grappling with immense losses, with some left without means to recover their livelihoods.
This incident follows a similar fire just four days earlier, on January 27, when another blaze destroyed ten shops and several vehicles in the same enclave. The recurrence of such disasters has raised serious concerns about fire safety in Suame, the largest auto-mechanic and trading hub in the Ashanti Region.