Traders in the Sunyani Central Business District (CBD) were left in shock and despair after a fire destroyed several shops in the early hours of Monday.
The blaze, which swept through a compound housing multiple shops and stores, drew a crowd of onlookers as it spread.
Many shop owners were not at the scene when the fire broke out around 8:00 a.m., but those present managed to salvage some of their belongings.
Achie’s Hardware, a building and construction supply store, was the worst hit. Buckets of paint inside the shop exploded intermittently, adding to the chaos and fear among traders and bystanders.
By the time personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service arrived, the fire had already grown intense.
The firefighters, however, were able to bring the blaze under control.
While the cause of the fire remains unknown, some eyewitnesses suggested it may have started from a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder in use by one of the shop owners.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. However, bystanders raised concerns that the firefighters had only one fire tender to tackle the blaze.
