There was wailing and despair at the North Industrial Area on Thursday morning as workers of companies located in the area including Duraplast Ghana watched helplessly while fire swept through their warehouses and shops at Avenor, destroying millions of cedis worth of PE pipes, water storage tanks and other products.
At the time of filing this report, there were thick smoke at the scene as firefighters continued efforts to contain the blaze.
Reports gathered indicated that the fire reportedly started in the early hours of Thursday, October 1, 2026, around the Kofikrom area. The flames spread through parts of the industrial enclave and later reached the vicinity of the Duraplast factory. Firefighters initially faced difficulties accessing the affected area due to narrow or blocked routes and wooden structures.
The Ghana National Fire Service later reported that the fire had been brought under control by about 11 a.m. The outbreak also affected electricity supply in parts of Accra, with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) reporting an outage linked to the fire near its Substation D at Avenor.
Workers of Duraplast, on the other hand, were seen rushing in their numbers to rescue polytanks as the devastating fire swept through the company’s facility.
The Warehouse Manager of Duraplast Ghana, Grace Duah, recounted how fire gutted the company’s factory at Accra’s North Industrial Area, stating that what started as smoke billowing from behind the factory’s wall at about 6:40 a.m. quickly escalated into a raging inferno, reducing huge stocks of finished pipes to ashes before firefighters could bring it under control.
“About 20 minutes to seven, I got here and realised smoke was coming. Some of my colleagues also called me and we rushed there and realised fire was coming from behind our wall,” she stated.
She said they quickly called the Ghana National Fire Service, but their response was delayed. “We were trying to call the Fire Service but it took them time to arrive. Before they arrived, the fire had escalated into our yard. Within 10 to 15 minutes, the fire started entering the yard and burning our products. We lost our PE pipes, a lot of pipes,” Madam Duah stated.
She added that no one communicated the exact cause of the fire to her before she arrived at the scene.
Meanwhile, the Marketing Manager of Duraplast Ghana, Emmanuel Donkor, also blamed the extent of damage on the late arrival of fire officers and empty hydrants. “I got to the office about six when I was called that there was fire nearby. Myself and some colleagues came and we called the Fire Service. They told us they were on their way. They came after about two hours and couldn’t control the fire,” he said. “If they had come like 30 minutes or 20 minutes earlier, we could have just stopped the fire there and then. But all the hydrants were also empty,” he added.
The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, has disclosed that squatters would be cleared from the North Industrial Area enclave within the next 24 hours following the fire that gutted the Duraplast factory.
According to the Mayor, the decision has become necessary because activities of squatters and unauthorised structures in the industrial enclave are fueling recurrent fire outbreaks as well as hampering access for emergency services.
He explained that many of the squatters have erected makeshift structures with highly combustible materials close to factories and warehouses, with illegal electrical connections and open fires for cooking, creating a high fire risk for the entire area.
Mr. Allotey said the presence of squatters also blocked access routes, which contributed to the delay in firefighting efforts during the Duraplast incident – a concern raised by staff of the company.
Mayor Allotey said the Assembly cannot allow the situation to continue, hence the 24-hour ultimatum to clear all unauthorised occupants to create fire belts, restore access for fire tenders as well as protect lives, property and industries operating in the North Industrial Area.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke