The Greater Accra Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), ACFO II Rashid Kwame Nisawu, has confirmed the arrest of a suspect in connection with the devastating fire that swept through the Accra Timber Market in the early hours of Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, ACFO II Nisawu revealed that preliminary intelligence gathered during the firefighting operation linked the blaze to a man who allegedly started a rubbish fire and left it unattended.
“Indeed, through the firefighting, what normally we do is that during the firefighting we also deploy some plainclothed officers to fish out for information. And what we gathered was that, there is this gentleman who gathers some rubbish around and set it on fire, went to sleep and this thing degenerated and that is the result we are having,” he explained.
He added that the police acted swiftly after receiving the information. “The good thing is that this morning, the Police Commander came to report to the Chief Fire Officer — I was around — that they have been able to apprehend the gentleman and currently, as we speak, the alleged suspect is now in police custody at James Town Police Station.”
The inferno, which broke out near Ayalolo School at 1:17 a.m., destroyed several shops dealing in wooden planks and hardware. Seven fire engines from stations across the capital, supported by one GNFS water tanker and two others from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and Ablekuma Municipal Assembly, were deployed to tackle the flames.
The fire was confined by 6:26 a.m., brought under control by 6:37 a.m., and fully extinguished by 11:44 a.m.
Two firefighters sustained injuries during the operation — one suffered an electric shock while another sustained burns on the arm. Both have since been treated and discharged.
Despite the damage to the market, firefighters managed to protect adjoining structures, including the Ayalolo cluster of schools, from the blaze.
Source: CitiNews
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