A fierce fire erupted on Monday morning, wreaking havoc on parts of the Race Course Market in Kumasi and causing extensive damage to merchandise estimated to be worth millions of Ghana cedis.

Eyewitnesses reported that the destructive fire impacted approximately 70 shops, all stocked with various items.

The incident began around 7:00 a.m. on Monday, originating from one shop and rapidly spreading to others, destroying goods.

While the cause of the fire remained unknown at the time of reporting, some affected traders speculated that it might have originated from a shop where one trader was cooking with a gas cylinder.

One victim, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, shared the devastating impact on her business. “I deal in clothing and pomades; my wholesale shop, which I restocked on Friday, and all the items have been ravaged by the fire, causing a major financial burden to my business,” she lamented.

The Ghana National Fire Service dispatched personnel to the scene but encountered challenges in controlling the fire due to the absence of fire hydrants in the market.

Mr. Henry Giwah, Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, explained the difficulties faced by the firefighters.

“We must deploy five fire tenders because of the lack of hydrants at the facility. We could have stopped the fire immediately if there were water hydrants available at the market,” Mr Giwah stated.

Despite the destructive nature of the fire, there were no reported casualties at the scene.

The Fire Service has initiated investigations to determine the cause of the outbreak.