Fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday, August 1, 2024, at the Kwadaso market in the Ashanti region, devastating over 40 shops and their contents.

The inferno wreaked havoc on the M line of the market, leaving traders in despair over the loss of millions of cedis worth of goods, including fabrics, footwear, frozen foods, plantains, yams, and more.

The traders, whose businesses are their sole source of livelihood, are now facing an uncertain future. Speaking with Citi News, some of them shared their distress.

One trader lamented, "All our plantain have been burnt, we are at a great loss, GHC4,000 to GHC5,000 plantain all destroyed. We bought the plantain on credit and we have to pay, we don’t know how to go about it. Those who gave us the plantain on credit will definitely come after us, they wouldn’t care. We really need help, myself and my colleagues. I’m 62 years old, this is the only business I can do, I don’t have the energy to do any other business."

Adwoa Connie, another affected trader, expressed her anguish, "I sell fabrics, shoes, hair scarves, and other kinds of stuff. I took a loan, I had a call that all my fabrics were destroyed, and I’m appealing to the government to come to my aid so that I can restart the business. I’m 71 years old and my kids are in school, there is no help anywhere. This is the only job I can do. I got new stock just Wednesday and everything is gone. I have kids too, the money lost could be over a million cedis. I’m pleading with the government to come to my aid."

The Ashanti Regional Fire Service’s Public Relations Officer revealed that the fire was brought under control after deploying two fire appliances, a fire tender, and a water tanker. He noted that access to the market was hindered by obstructions and blockages, which delayed their response.

"The fire affected 40 stalls and their contents, which include frozen foods, provisions, and other stuff. There were no casualties. When we got there, the fire was well alight. The entrance of the market had some obstructions around it, so the doors could not open fully, and the gate not open fully. Access to the scene of the fire was a challenge because there were a lot of obstructions on the road, which also affected our response," he stated.

Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.