Agbogbloshie fire outbreak: Displaced residents beg government for compensation

A devastating fire outbreak on Sunday, November 24, at Agbogbloshie - Old Fadama, near Borla Top Down in Accra, destroyed multiple makeshift wooden homes and left many residents displaced.  

The fire, which occurred in the evening, caused significant property damage, with losses running into thousands of cedis. Displaced residents are now calling on the government for urgent support.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in a brief statement reported that the fire began at approximately 9:38 PM, and two fire pumps were immediately dispatched to the scene. Despite initial challenges, the fire service successfully contained the fire by 12:54 AM on Monday and completely extinguished it by 1:38 AM.

While the destruction was significant, no injuries or fatalities were reported. However, the full details of the incident remain unclear.

An affected resident Abdul Taziz Tahidu recounted his experience:

I woke from sleep when I sensed that the fire had started. I proceeded to drive my family out of the room and then joined other residents in trying to fight the fire. After unsuccessful attempts, I called the fire service for assistance.

Mohammed Amin, a mobile money vendor affected by the fire, revealed that he lost over 800,000 cedis in the incident. He appealed for urgent government support:

I have lost over 800,000 cedis because everything in my store got burnt. I am therefore appealing to the government to come to our aid and help because we don’t have anywhere to sleep. We are on our knees because, without the government, we have no other option.

Meanwhile, the Ghana National Fire Service has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.

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