Preliminary assessment of the impact of the devastation caused by the last night inferno in Akyem Oda main market has revealed that a total of about 600 stores, shops, outlets and stalls containing traders wares are destroyed.
The items included clothes, dresses, provisions, food items, sewing machines, bags, mobile phones, fridges, laptops among others worth thousands of Cedis.
According to an eyewitness, Shadrac Mensah, a taxi driver, the fire started around 8:30 pm Monday, September 13, 2021.
He said he was driving from the Oda Government Hospital towards the Oda Total fuel station when he first saw thick smoke billowing from the middle of the market occupied by some seamstresses.
He raised alarm when he reached the total fuel station but a few minutes later the entire market was engulfed by the inferno.
A joint team of Police, Ghana National Fire Service and the Military from the Achiase Jungle Warfare School arrived at the scene at about 8:50 pm.
The operation of the fire tender of the Ghana National Fire Service hit a snag due to the overcrowded nature of the market square and the unavailability of access roads coupled with the high intensity of the inferno.
It took the intervention of reinforcement from Fire Stations at Achiase, Asamankese and Agona Swedru who responded swiftly with their Fire Tenders and with the support from the Police, the Military, the municipal NADMO and some concerned youth, the fire was brought under control at about 2:00 am.
The Acting Public Relations Officer of the Eastern Regional Police Command Inspector Francis Gomado said the Oda Police no casualty has so far been identified.
He said the Police together with the Ghana National Fire Service are investigating the cause of the inferno.
Meanwhile, the Queen-mother Nana Akua Asantewaa II, Eastern Regional Fire Officer ACFO Jennifer Quaye and the Member of Parliament for Oda Akwasi Acquah have visited the market to commiserate with the victims and access the impact.
