Quick-thinking firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) dodged disaster late Tuesday night, wrestling a raging fire at Accra’s bustling Mallam Atta Market into submission without a single injury.
The alarm bells rang at 10:46 p.m., and the first crew—led by ADO I Ahoni from the National Headquarters—rolled up just 16 minutes later at 11:02 p.m. Backup from Circle and Flagstaff House stations piled in by 11:13 and 11:29 p.m., turning the tide. By 12:01 a.m., the flames were reined in, and the fire was doused for good at 12:24 a.m.
The inferno chewed through 12 wooden setups—half shops, half homes—leaving traders and residents staring at charred ruins.
A 40-foot container doubling as a cold store took a partial hit, but firefighters’ sharp tactics spared nearby stalls and houses from going up in smoke.
No deaths or even scratches reported, a small mercy amid the wreckage. GNFS hasn’t pinned down what sparked the blaze yet—investigators are on the case.
For now, the market’s survivors are counting losses and breathing easier, thanks to the crews who showed up in the nick of time.
