A fierce fire that gutted the Holy Ghost Sanctuary, a branch of the Victory Bible Church, and a two-storey building at Dome Pillar Two in the Ga East Municipality has reduced the church to a pile of rubble.
While no one sustained injury in the blaze, it resulted in the loss of properties running into thousands of cedis.
Apart from the damage to the church, the fire which started at 10 a.m. also caused extensive damage to 12 shops that were housed in the storey building.
It took personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) almost two hours to bring the fire under control.
According to an eyewitness account, the fire started after a generating set belonging to the church exploded as a result of flames from a pile of burning wood in a house close to the church.
When the Daily Graphic visited the scene, the church building had been completely burnt to ashes.
The premises were flooded with the water used to extinguish the fire. Broken louvre blades and burnt items were scattered everywhere.
The church’s instruments and gadgets including drums, organs, sound systems and projectors were all consumed by the fire.
Victims speak
The Head Pastor of the church, Rev David Osei Quarshie, who arrived at the scene after he had received a distress call from a church member, explained that the church was celebrating its 30th anniversary with a three-day fasting which was to end today.
“With this situation we will not be able to meet here today, so we will have to meet at a church member’s house,” he added.
According to him, the church recently bought a new sound system at GH¢6,700, a projector and a plasma television, which had all been burnt.
A boutique owner whose items were completely burnt, said she had acquired a loan from the bank to purchase the items which were worth $10,000.
Two fire engines from the Legon Fire Station and the Madina Fire Station were at the scene to put out the fire.
Cause of fire
The Station Officer of the Legon Fire Station, Mr Ako Adjei, told the Daily Graphic that the service received an emergency call at about 10:20 a.m. and responded quickly by directing firemen to the scene to fight the fire.
According to him, the service would fully investigate the cause of the inferno after they had assessed the place.
No fire post The Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Ms Adwoa Safo, who visited the fire scene to sympathise with the victims assured them of her support.
She said it was regrettable that there was no fire post in the area but said she was working towards establishing one in the area.
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Source: Graphic Online
