One person dies in Arts Centre fire

One person has been confirmed dead following a fire at the Accra Arts Centre that destroyed wooden structures.

Hundreds of wooden structures worth thousands of Ghana cedis were also destroyed by the fire which broke out at 1445 hours.

Residents were trying to save their belongings from the raging fire when the Ghana News Agency arrived at the scene, while others stood helpless.

The fire service, which arrived after 30 minutes, extinguished the blaze in about an hour and a half.

Speaking at a press conference, DO1 Kofi Forson, the Deputy Director of Operations at the Ministries Fire Command, said they received a distress call at about 3:05pm.

The fire was still actively burning when we arrived, he explained, indicating that it had progressed to a stage beyond the capacity of a single pump.

“He had to act fast to call for further assistance and use five pumps.”

"Unfortunately, we have a scenario where a person has been found dead and completely burnt. So we need the police to come and take over the situation," he said.

The deputy director claimed that the area served both residential and commercial needs, and mentioned that several gas cylinders were on display.

“When we put out the fire, some of them exploded," he said.

DO1 Forson advised people to be vigilant against unauthorised connections and improper use of LPG and to report any fire to the service.