Fire has gutted the Akim Oda Central Market in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern Region. It is unclear what caused the fire, but Citi News sources say it started at 8 pm on Monday [September 13, 2021].

Property worth thousands of Ghana cedis belonging to traders have been lost in the inferno as firefighters and residents fought to douse the fire.

It is reported that accessibility to the scene was initially difficult as a result of the design of the market.

Citi News understands this is the second in 18 years that fire of this magnitude has ravaged the Akim Oda market.

An eyewitness who is also a local journalist, Kobby Praise, told Citi News there were some fire tenders, but due to the lack of access route, the firefighting was hampered.

“Almost the entire market has been burnt to ashes. There were about four fire tenders but because there is no access route to the main market, the fire officers couldn’t access the place to douse the fire.”

There have been a series of fire outbreaks in the school in recent past, with this being the latest.

For instance, on Sunday, August 15, 2021, fire ravaged structures at the St. Charles Minor Seminary Senior High School at Tamale in the Northern Region.

The fire destroyed a storeroom containing student mattresses, six classrooms, and four offices.