Several shops have completely burnt at Buduburam in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region as a result of a fire outbreak on Wednesday, November 22.

Firefighters had a tough time controlling the inferno leading to loss of goods worth several millions of Ghana cedis.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started in the wee hours of Wednesday starting from one shop the inferno spread with speed to other shops at Goldengate Junction, a congested area of Buduburam.

Flames and thick smoke covered the atmosphere as desperate owners and nearby residents tried to quench the fire while waiting for the arrival of firefighters.

Even though the Gomoa Buduburam and Kasoa fire stations responded swiftly to the incident, there was a delay in actual operations to douse the fire ass calls to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to take the area off power were not swiftly responded to.

Wares such as air-conditioners, electrical cables and components, vehicular spare parts, and tires, as well as food items, have been destroyed.

Affected shop owners say they have lost goods that are worth several millions of Ghana cedis and will be difficult for them to bounce back to business.

D03 Sarah Obimpeh, Commander for Budumburam Fire Service says their operation was impeded by the delay on the part of ECG to switch off power to the area.

Preliminary investigations by her outfit cite an electrical fault at one of the shops as the cause of the fire.

She is advocating against any future redevelopment of the area as it falls directly beneath GRIDCO’s main power transmission lines.

By: Akwasi Addo | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana