On Monday night, a fierce fire engulfed a slum near the Asoprochona railway station in Sakumono, destroying dozens of makeshift homes and leaving hundreds of residents without shelter.

The blaze, which reportedly started around 7 p.m., spread swiftly through the tightly packed wooden structures, with the combustible materials and close proximity of the homes causing the fire to intensify rapidly.

Eyewitnesses recounted scenes of panic as residents—mainly women and children—rushed to escape the flames. “It was chaos. Everyone was running, screaming. People were trying to grab their children and a few belongings, but the fire moved too fast,” one resident recalled, describing the overwhelming situation.

The fire, which affected a stretch of land roughly 100 meters by 40 meters, reduced the settlement to rubble. After the flames were finally controlled, all that remained were charred wood, twisted metal, and smoldering debris.

The Ghana National Fire Service responded quickly to the scene, deploying fire tenders from Tema, Nungua, and Spintex. The fire, which had been burning for almost two hours, was finally extinguished thanks to the efforts of fire crews, under the leadership of Tema Regional Operations Officer DO II Fiifi Oppong.

As night fell, displaced residents gathered outside the Mount Zion Methodist Church, some still in shock, while others scoured the ruins for anything they could salvage from their destroyed homes.

Although the cause of the fire is still under investigation, some residents suspect an electrical fault or unattended cooking fire may have ignited the blaze. Fire authorities have promised to conduct a thorough investigation.

This tragic incident has sparked renewed calls for stronger safety measures and improved housing conditions in informal settlements, which continue to be highly vulnerable to such devastating disasters.