A massive fire broke out in a 13-bedroom house in the Oforikrom Gaoline community in the Ashanti Region, leaving residents in shock and destroying properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis. The incident, which occurred on Wednesday at around midday, has left several families without a home and struggling to salvage what remains of their belongings.
Eyewitnesses reported that the fire raged on until the intervention of the KNUST fire station, which helped to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby houses. “We just heard noise that the building was on fire, so the boys in the area came around to control the spread before the fire service came in to bring it under control,” an eyewitness recounted. “Most of the children were in school and the adults were also out when the fire started.”
The incident has left victims stranded, with many losing everything they owned. Madam Assana, whose sister was affected by the fire, said that they were unable to salvage any items from the room. “My twin sister is pregnant and hearing the news of the fire has really affected her. We couldn’t salvage much,” she said.
The fire service was able to bring the fire under control within two hours and has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. This incident is just one of many fire cases that have been reported in the Ashanti Region since the beginning of 2025, with a total of 183 cases recorded so far. Major markets, including the Kejetia market, Asafo market, and Kwadaso wood market, have been the most impacted by these fires.
The community is still reeling from the aftermath of the fire, and efforts are being made to support the affected families. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but the fire service is working to determine the origin of the blaze and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
