The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has blamed human negligence for the recent fires that gutted parts of the Accra Timber Market and Lartebiokorshie.
Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander, ACFO II Rashid Kwame Nisawu, said preliminary investigations revealed that both incidents were caused by careless human actions.
“In the Lartebiokorshie case, our investigations point to a foreign expatriate — a Chinese national — who smoked and dropped a cigar into a dustbin. That is believed to have started the fire,” he explained on Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, September 13.
On the Timber Market fire, ACFO Nisawu noted: “Someone closed for the day, gathered refuse, and set it on fire before going to sleep. The fire spread and caused the damage we witnessed.”
He stressed that the incidents underscore a worrying disregard for basic fire safety protocols. “These are clear cases of human error. It shows that people are not taking fire education seriously,” he added.
The Timber Market fire, which broke out in the early hours of Saturday, September 13, 2025, destroyed several shops and injured two firefighters. However, swift intervention from the GNFS and support agencies prevented the flames from spreading to nearby areas, including the Ayalolo cluster of schools.
