GNFS begins investigation into Ash Foam fires in Accra
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has begun investigations into the fire outbreak that reduced a section of the premises of the foam manufacturer, Ashfoam, into a pile of rubble in Accra is Monday.
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The immediate cause of the fire is yet to be established by the GNFS, as it is still investigating the matter.
“At the moment, I can tell you that officers are on the ground doing their investigations. On Monday, we were called to quench the fire in the evening and we used two hours to quench it, after which we left here at midnight. Investigators are back to investigate what exactly caused the fire,” the Industrial Area District Commander of the GNFS, Divisional Officer Two (DOII) Osmond Annam, told the Daily Graphic.
Damage
The fire damaged parts of the factory building and destroyed valuables running into thousands of cedis. The Production and Curing Department where some production items were kept was completely burnt.
No life was lost
The fire, which reportedly started around 8 p.m., also destroyed industrial materials, including foam blocks, mattresses, student trunks, beds, tables, chairs, wardrobes and pillow materials.
It took the swift response of personnel from the GNFS to prevent the fire from spreading.
Mr Annam said even though fire incidents in the industrial hub had reduced following educational campaigns by his outfit, “we ask everyone to get fire extinguishers and smoke detectors to alert them to fires”.
Cost
According to the Marketing Communications Manager at Ashfoam, Mr Ampem Yaw Darko, the cost of the damage could not immediately be known, since the company is now counting its losses.
“As of now, the cause of the fire is not verified and we cannot announce how much is lost, but, indeed, we can look at it from the damage done to the products, the factory building and the opportunity cost,” he said.
Mr Darko expressed gratitude to the GNFS, NADMO and staff of the company for their various interventions.
