Flashback: The structure on fire
The fire-gutted four storey building in the heart of Makola in the Central Business District of Accra was last Sunday demolished.
The demolishing was informed by a report by the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited, which questioned the integrity of the structure following the fire.
The exercise was undertaken by personnel of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Army, whose service was sought by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly soon after the fire incident.
Some members of the Alawiye family, owners of the building, were present during the dawn operation. Standing by were representatives of the Ghana National Fire Service, National Disaster Management Organisation and the Ghana Police Service.
Earlier, a report from an enquiry ordered by the AMA revealed that a generator was responsible for the fire which gutted goods costing millions of cedis.
Presenting the findings, the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah said “over 90 per cent of the traders at the mall own and use small-sized generators…but lately because there is no dumsor, it appears regularly servicing their generators has been forgotten.”
The July inferno was so intense it took several fire tenders to bring it under control.
By A.R. Gomda