play videoThe fire destroyed documents at the police station among many other things
• The police station at Railways in Accra has been razed by fire
• It took the collaboration of kayayeis and other traders to douse the fire
• The fire destroyed everything in the police station
A fire outbreak believed to have last about an hour and half has razed the Railways Police Station in Accra.
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Multiple eyewitness accounts say that the fire started from one of the offices of the station but with the Ghana National Fire Service not responding to their call early, traders and head potters (kayayeis) had to come together to put out the fire.
One of the witnesses explained that he was with the police commander of the station when the distress call got to them of the fire.
"I was with the commander when they called us that there is fire inside here. Immediately I came here, I saw there was smoke everywhere and there was nothing we could do; everybody had left the counter and they were all outside and I broke through, entered and started removing [opening] the cell doors. I removed the guns and after that and then I started asking for water," he explained.
At the time, as the news team gathered, there were about 12 inmates at the police station and they had to be quickly whisked outside and kept in another enclosed area, awaiting transfer.
The fire destroyed documents, furniture, electronic appliances, as well as other valuables within the station.
However, the young men and women who came together to fight the fire refused to allow a fire tender from the GNFS gain access to the yard as they hooted at them, turning them away.
They explained that after over an hour of trying to reach them, and being clear that they had been able to completely put out the fire, there was no need for the fire service to be there any longer.
