Kasoa: Firefighters pelted with stones over faulty fire tenders, 15 shops destroyed

A fire outbreak at High Tension in Kasoa has destroyed 15 container shops, with residents blaming delays in the emergency response on breakdowns involving fire tenders at the Kasoa and Buduburam fire stations.

The fire, which started mid-morning, prompted some residents to attack firefighters from the Weija Fire Station with stones when they arrived at the scene.

The residents accused the firefighters of arriving late, by which time the blaze had already caused extensive damage.

The Assemblyman for the American Town Electoral Area, Shadrach Boakye Yiadom, condemned the attack and called on the authorities to urgently repair the faulty fire tenders.

“We called the Kasoa Fire Service and we were told their vehicle had broken down, same with Buduburam. I don’t understand why my people resorted to pelting stones at them. That is something I will never encourage my people to do,” he said.

Mr Boakye Yiadom urged residents to support efforts to contain fire outbreaks rather than attack emergency responders, saying the incident highlighted equipment challenges confronting the fire service.

A resident, Mr Boateng, also expressed disappointment that firefighters from the nearby Kasoa station were unable to respond because of the breakdown.

“The fire station is just a stone-throw from the incident but they could not respond because their fire tender has broken down. Authorities must come in and ensure that the fire tenders are fixed so that the citizens of Kasoa will be free. I am very disappointed,” he told Citi News.

The affected shops sold various items, including mobile phones, electrical appliances and wood crafts. The owners are yet to determine the extent of their losses and are concerned about how to rebuild their businesses.

The Awutu Senya East Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Nash Nyandey, said preliminary assessments pointed to a possible electrical fault as the cause of the fire.

He also expressed concern about congestion in the area, noting that NADMO had previously advised occupants to vacate the location.

Mr Nyandey said NADMO would use the incident as an opportunity to clear the area and restore order.