Fire Guts Abuja Slum In Accra

Over 200 structures have been gutted by fire in Abuja, a slum in Accra.

Personnel from the Fire Service arrived at the scene located around the Cocoa Marketing Board at the Central Business District of Accra and succeeded in bringing the inferno under control.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained although some residents suspected it to have been started by a candle which was lit in one of the wooden structures in the area.

The residents could be seen carrying their belongings away from the fire, while others tried to assist the officials from the fire service fight the blaze.

The slum is home to over a thousand people – mostly traders – who are predominantly from the Northern part of the country.

Some residents tried to help fight the fire in any way they could including throwing sachets of water onto the blaze.

Others braved the searing heat and climbed one of the structures which was perilously close to the fire in an attempt to douse the flames.

After about an hour, the combined efforts of the fire service and the residents managed to bring the fire under control.

The same location was gutted by fire in 2013, razing several wooden structures to the ground.

It is as yet unclear whether there were any human casualties.