The Ghana National Fire Service is probing a suspected power‑restoration fault as a potential trigger for the fire that scorched part of Kumasi Central Market near Aboabo station. Ashanti Regional Fire Commander ACFO I Peter Tetteh said eyewitnesses reported a brief outage followed by a sudden return of electricity, at which point the fire was seen to ignite.
Commander Tetteh shared the account while inspecting the scene with Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Mahama Ayariga, Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene and Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi. "From what we heard, eyewitnesses said there was a light out. In three minutes, the light came back on, and that is when they saw the fire," he told the group.
Traders who had received basic fire‑safety training tried to extinguish the initial flames with portable extinguishers, but the fire spread rapidly. The first fire appliance from Asokore Mampong arrived at 8:39 pm, followed by four additional tenders and a water tanker. Commander Tetteh confirmed that water supply was not a constraint, but congestion and obstructions caused by traders retrieving belongings hampered firefighters’ manoeuvres.
"There were a lot of obstructions yesterday. Even the police were here, but it was very, very difficult over here," he said. Investigations into the precise cause of the blaze and assessments of the total financial losses are ongoing.
