The inferno that razed portions of two warehouses and many wooden structures in the North Industrial Area in Accra has been completely doused.
It took the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) about 12 hours to extinguish the fire.
A visit to the site yesterday revealed a vast stretch of land, about the size of a football field, where structures had been razed to the ground.
The fire left behind heaps of debris, corrugated iron sheets, pieces of wood and personal effects belonging to squatters who had occupied parts of the field.
Aftermath
When the Daily Graphic team visited the scene of the incident, it observed that parts of the Duraplast facility had been badly damaged.
The team saw a few plastic water tanks that had been salvaged by rescue personnel.
Aftermath of the fire outbreak at Avenor
It also encountered hundreds of people, including artisans and transport operators, counting their losses.
In conversations with the people, they said they had been affected by the fire, which, together with the subsequent demolition, had destroyed their businesses, equipment and goods, leaving them with little to restart their livelihoods.
They appealed to the government to intervene to help them recover from their losses, saying the fire and subsequent demolition had severely disrupted their livelihoods.
They also appealed for authorities to assess the extent of damage to their businesses and goods and consider measures to support those whose property had been affected.
Assessment
The Systems Manager responsible for Health, Safety and Environment (SHE) at Duraplast Limited, Bismack Tsatsu, said the company had begun assessing the extent of the damage caused by the fire.
The scene at the Duraplast Company following the fire outbreak
He said the fire had destroyed the company’s entire stock of finished products that was on the floor at the time of the incident.
He said the company’s main factory, including its machinery and other critical equipment, was however saved from the fire through the combined efforts of the GNFS, the company’s internal fire team and other state agencies.
He said the company received reports of the fire around 6:40 a.m. when it was threatening to spread into the company’s premises.
“Our fire team started to fight the fire, and at the same time, we called the Ghana National Fire Service to come and assist us,” he said.
He said by 7:20 a.m., two fire tenders had arrived on the scene, but the fire had already entered the company’s yard.
He said the presence of chemical-based components, raw materials and finished products in the yard caused the fire to spread rapidly.
Duraplast Limited’s SHE and Systems Manager expressed appreciation to the GNFS, Police Service, NADMO, National Ambulance Service, national security personnel and other agencies for their response.
Damage
Mr Tsatsu said while the exact financial cost of the damage was yet to be determined, the destruction of the company’s stock represented a significant loss.
He said preliminary information indicated that the fire originated from a nearby slum where people had been residing.
“We do not have the full details, but what we know is that somebody was cooking and their gas cylinder reportedly exploded,” he said.
The scene at the Duraplast Company following the fire outbreak
Despite the destruction, Mr Tsatsu said the company was hopeful of restoring production and restocking its facility, with plans to resume full operations by Monday.
He assured customers that other parts of the company’s operations remained functional.
“We are temporarily shutting down this plant, but we are open for business.
If you want to purchase water tanks, pipes and other products from our other sites, they are fully operational,” he said.
He further said no Duraplast employee was injured during the incident, although some firefighters sustained minor injuries and were treated by the National Ambulance Service.
Challenge
Mr Tsatsu also called on the authorities to prevent the re-emergence of the nearby slum, saying its proximity to the industrial facility posed a serious safety concern.
He said Duraplast had previously raised concerns about the settlement and urged the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and security agencies to ensure that the area remained secure.
