The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has cited “poor housekeeping” and the inappropriate conversion of a residential building into a warehouse as key factors complicating response efforts during the fire incident at Laterbiokorshie.
The fire erupted at Lartebiokoshie, in the vicinity of the Salvation Army school, according to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
In a post shared by the GNFS on Facebook, Greater Accra Regional Fire Officer ACFO II Rashid Kwame Nisawu confirmed that the structure was not purpose-built for storage but rather a house that had been repurposed.
Contents were stacked to the roof, significantly hindering firefighting operations. “In fire‑engineering science, this would be termed as poor housekeeping, which contributed to the incident,” he commented.
To address lingering embers trapped deep in the debris, the GNFS plans to deploy an excavator whose longer boom will allow firefighters to remove material and fully extinguish the fire.
Mr Nisawu highlighted that fire has now been contained and that the risk of its spread has been eliminated.
The incident resulted in two injuries, including one sustained by a GNFS officer who fell from the structure’s upper region.
Both individuals received immediate treatment from the National Ambulance Service and were later transferred to the Korle bu Teaching Hospital.
Thankfully, both have since been discharged and are reported to be in good condition.