<<Print>>

Fire last Thursday gutted a warehouse of the Hope Congregation of the Presbyterian Church in the Sakumono Estates in Tema. The fire destroyed items worth hundreds of thousands of Ghana cedis. At the time of the incident, a 40-foot container which served as the warehouse contained new chairs, mattresses and other items belonging to the church. Initial efforts Initial efforts by some workers of the church to battle the flames with 10 fire extinguishers and water were unproductive as strong winds hampered their attempts. The timely arrival of a crew from the Tema Community Two Fire Station on the scene proved favourable as the team managed to bring the blaze under control in less than an hour. Cause of fire The blaze was said to have started at about 12 noon at the same time that a welder was cutting a window out of the container. It is said that in the process, a spark from the welding machine got into contact with combustible materials in the container which consequently caught fire. There was no casualty. The Assistant Fire Officer of the Tema Community Two Fire Station, Mr Joseph Addottey, who led the crew of fire personnel, said an investigation into the cause of the fire was to commence immediately and the extent of damage assessed in order to forestall a future occurrence.