Fire Consumes Sodom and Gomorrah

The burnt scene at Sodom and Gomorrah yesterday

Fire yesterday gutted structures at Sodom and Gomorrah, a slum near Old Fadama, destroying property worth thousands of Ghana Cedis.

The fire, which started around 7am, consumed over 50 wooden structures, displacing hundreds of settlers.

Even though the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, information gathered indicated that the fire started in a kiosk where a woman fried yam with a gas burner and subsequently spread to other wooden structures.

However, due to the timely intervention of Fire Service personnel and the Ghana Police Service, the fire was prevented from spreading further and causing more damage.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, the Divisional Fire Officer at the Makola fire station, Evans A. Asiedu, said they received a call around 7:59am that there was a fire outbreak at Sodom and Gomorrah.

He said, 'We quickly dispatched fire fighters to the place and it took them over an hour to bring the situation under control.'

Mr. Asiedu stated that initially the residents struggled with them because they wanted to take their belongings out of the rooms before the fire fighters quenched the fire. But, he said, due to the timely intervention of the police, they were able to quench the fire as quickly as possible.

Mr. Asiedu said the fire was able to spread easily because the structures were all made up of combustible material.

He noted that investigations were underway to actually ascertain the cause of the fire outbreak, adding that there were no casualties.

He called on the Accra Mayor to relocate the people living in the area and develop the place well.

By Cephas Larbi