The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed that Thursday’s fire that gutted parts of the China City Mall in Kumasi started from a warehouse located on the first floor of the affected building.

Head of Public Relations at the GNFS, Divisional Officer II Desmond E. Ackah, disclosed this during an interview on Morning Starr with Joshua Kodjo Mensah on Friday, October 31.

According to him, preliminary investigations by officers at the scene established the point of origin, though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.

“The good news is that we’ve been able to establish the origin of the fire at the warehouse, which was on the first floor of the affected structure,” he said.

Mr Ackah noted that investigators are still on-site conducting detailed examinations of the debris to reconstruct the sequence of events that led to the outbreak.

“Investigations have begun, and as I have been briefed, investigators are currently on the ground to ensure that they excavate, reconstruct, and get to know what actually led to the fire,” he explained.

He urged the public to allow the process to be completed before drawing conclusions about the cause of the incident.

“I believe that once investigations have begun, we should allow them to be able to conclude on their investigations and tell us the exact cause of the fire,” he said.

Mr Ackah also commended the swift response of firefighters, noting that their timely intervention prevented the blaze from spreading beyond the main structure and helped avert loss of life and further property damage.

The inferno, which began around 3 p.m. on Thursday at the Santasi Star Junction branch of China City Mall, destroyed the entire building and goods worth thousands of cedis.

No casualties have been reported, while investigations continue into the exact cause of the fire.