Kejetia market fire: Thief grabbed in attempt to steal during inferno

A young man believed to be in his early twenties has been arrested by the Ghana Police Service for attempting to steal during the inferno at the Kejetia Market.

Around 4 pm Wednesday, March 15, 2023, parts of the market was set ablaze. The incident left several properties at the Kejetia Central Market in Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti Region, destroyed.

According to a situational report, while the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) was working to put out the fire, the unidentified suspect is alleged to have joined the firefighter to engage in shoplifting.

The alleged thief was seen being led by the police to the station for questioning in a social media footage that has since gone viral.

Meanwhile, the Fire Service has announced that the fire that engulfed the market has been extinguished.

GNFS said in a statement posted on their social media handles that, “The fierce fire got completely extinguished at 1930 hours by the gallant and dexterous Firefighters.”

The statement added that there were zero firefighter injuries, whiles officers continued to work to ascertain civilian casualties and other crucial details for investigations.

The GNFS confirmed the market fire after multiple news channels reported it on March 15, 2023.

GhanaWeb sources confirmed that the fire started at Kejetia Dubai, where car tyres are sold.

The fire according to reports started around 4:30 pm.

Personnel from the GNFS were quickly called to the scene to douse the inferno and rescue people from the parts of the building which has been gutted by the fire.

Personnel from the Ambulance Service and the Ghana Police Service were also at the scene to offer support to the victims of the inferno.

The injured were transported to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. Traders affected by the incident wailed while they tried to salvage as many items as they could.

Some affected traders who spoke to GhanaWeb’s Ashanti Regional Correspondent claimed that the escalation of the fire can be attributed to the inability of fire officers to douse the fire on time.