*By:** **Dennis Narterh Adzigodi …………………….Ashaiman.***

An Explosion from a gas cylinder been used by local fried rice joint operators opposite the Ashaiman offices of the Ghana National Fire Service sparked fire on Monday afternoon around 3 O’clock pm, killed one, burnt over thirteen people and destroyed properties worth over millions of Cedis.

Those burnt were mostly customers eating at the time when one of the gas cylinders they were using to prepare the food exploded. Those severely burnt were the fried joint operators who were all men and are currently on admission at the Tema General Hospital with those in very critical conditions referred to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The joint which is popularly referred to as ‘The Brothers-Brothers Fried Rice’ is located between the Ashaiman main traffic light and the Police station, serves as canteen mostly for people and workers around.

The fire which was said to have started from a gas cylinder that exploded from the fried rice joint quickly spread to the nearby stores destroying properties worth over millions in the process. The joint operator whose name was given as Issaka Yakubu who died was trapped in the container kiosk as at the time of the explosion as he was serving their customers and could not escape early and was severely burnt beyond recognition and later died shortly after been admitted at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

The fire which occurred just opposite the Ashaiman Fire Service Station, could not be put under control until the arrival of other fire tenders from Tema. This situation has angered most of the residents who thronged the Ashaiman Traffic Light area to witness the incident. They attributed the wide spread of the fire to the poor approach by the Ashaiman Fire Service personnel whom they claimed could have put the fire under control before the arrival of the other fire tenders. The poor approach was attributed to shortage of water in their fire tender.

This has been the first fire casualty at Ashaiman since the arrival of the new fire tender. Police presence helped to control the crowd and other notorious people who wanted to take advantage of the fire to loot and steal items.

Most affected stores were Fruit of Israel Phone Shop just behind the Fried rice joint which was also burnt down with the newly arrived phones parked inside; a boutique and a provision shop also around the area were all burnt to ashes.

People around the fire scenes must help the victims safeguard their removed items rather than stealing those items.

The Ghana National Fire Service must also intensify their training of their personnel on how to control fire and the crowd at fire scenes.

The Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Numo Adinortey Anderson and the Ashaiman District Police commander DSP Peter Kobinah were all there to ascertain the damage caused by the fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but the Tema chief Fire officer Timothy Affum said the fire was believed to have been caused by an inferior imported gas cylinder which was being used by the operators.

Deputy Minister for Local Governance and Rural Development, Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah on Tuesday visited the victims at Tema and the Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals and pledged Government support towards the victims as he said it was a national disaster.

The deputy minister together with the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive later visited the families of the bereaved person at Ashaiman.