A devastating fire has swept through the bustling Zongo Lane, near Rawlings Park, in the Greater Accra Region, destroying some shops and items.

According to initial reports, the inferno began at a small shop, quickly engulfing other shops, and sending thick black smoke billowing into the air.

Fortunately, firefighters arrived promptly to battle the blaze. After a prolonged and intense effort, they finally managed to bring the fire under control.

As the smoke cleared, the full extent of the damage became apparent, several shops had been destroyed, with clothing, electronics, and other items reduced to ruins.

Alex King Nartey, the Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, emphasised that the GNFS faced significant challenges in extinguishing the fire, which was exacerbated by the explosion of gas cylinders and generators leading to a rapid escalation of the blaze.

“Our team upon arrival realised there was a fire involving a warehouse. To fight the fire, they had to get ECG to cut the power supply to the area. It took a while to cut the power. The problem is that accessibility was curtailed, even the stairs, leading to another floor were fortified with burglarproof and padlocks.

“To even get access to cut the fire from spreading to other floors were curtailed, because the padlocks and fortifications were too much. That’s what delayed and so we have to call our rescue team.

“If you realise the kind of materials here, generators, gas cylinders, and right now we fear the building might collapse. It’s been very tough to fight and until the fire is totally out we are not going.”