Committee To Investigate Navrongo Market Fire

 

THE NAVRONGO Municipal Assembly on Monday set up a five-member committee to investigate Sunday’s fire outbreak that swept through parts of Navrongo Central Market, destroying properties worth millions of Ghana Cedis.

Business activities came to a standstill in Navrongo on Sunday, when fire gutted the central market at the time the whole of the Upper East Region did not have electricity, following early announcements by VRA/NED that they were putting out electricity on Saturday and Sunday to pave way for some maintenance work.

There were varied reports regarding the cause of the fire which was caused by chemical explosion, while others attributed it to gas explosion. But speaking to The Chronicle, the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Emmanuel Andema narrated an eye witness  account and said it was caused by the lighting of incense by a market woman.

According to the MCE, the female victim, who sustained burns and was on admission at the War Memorial Hospital told him that she had gone to buy something from another woman where she saw that she had lit incense on a table. While she was buying some items, the incense felt on polythene that contained some substance. It immediately exploded into flame and within a short time; the whole area was on fire.

Fire service personnel had though time fighting the fire because the market was so congested that there were no access routes. The personnel in Navrongo called for reinforcement from Bolgatanga and Sandema, before they were able to fight the fire.

Mr. Andema on Monday set up a committee to investigate the cause of the outbreak. According to him, the disaster was so devastating that his assembly alone could not provide assistance for the victims. Meanwhile, the Municipal NADMO office has started compiling the list of the victims and their properties.

The Municipal Coordinator of NADMO, Mr. Sixtus Ayelazoya together with the MCE and other officials were at the scene to console the victims. The MCE regretted that if not all, majority of victims, mainly women did not insure their properties. He urged them to do so when the place is put back into use.

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