Several stores and shops in the Aboabo Market in Tamale in the Northern Region were on Saturday razed down by fire.

The fire, which lasted for four hours, was said to have started at about 5am, at the timethere was nobody in the market.

According to an eyewitness, personnel of theGhana National Fire Service (GNFS) struggled to put out the fire as there was not enough water in the water hydrant nearby.

Properties worth millions of Ghana cedis in the various stores and shops got destroyed in the fire.

The Ganorma Agro Chemical Store was the hardest hit as everything in the store was completely burnt to ashes.

Other items destroyed included food stuff such as bags of soyabeans, maize, and, rice.

Some traumatised store and shop owners stood helpless as they watched their shops being consumed by the blazing fire.

Some of them struggled to salvage some properties in their shops.

The Northern Regional acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of GNFS, Assistant Divisional Officer (ADO) Baba Hudu, said but for the timely intervention of the fire personnel, many stores would have been burnt down.

He stated that personnel of GNFS responded promptly to the distress call from the market.

ADO Hudu said that though the personnel had challenges, they managed to put out the fire in reasonable time.

The PRO expressed worry about the recent occurrences of fire outbreaks in the Tamale metropolis.

He mentioned that there was a similar fire outbreak in the same market a week ago.