Hundreds of residents at Asawase Pelele, a densely populated slum in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region, have been left homeless after a fire destroyed several wooden structures used as makeshift homes.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday, August 27, 2026, and swept through the settlement, destroying structures largely occupied by metal scrap dealers and head porters.
Among those affected are young women with children and men who had migrated from northern Ghana to the Ashanti Region in search of employment opportunities.
The densely packed nature of the settlement made it difficult for firefighters to access the affected area, with the haphazard arrangement of the structures hampering efforts to quickly contain the blaze.The Ghana National Fire Service received the distress call at 6:03 a.m. and arrived at the scene at 6:17 a.m.
Asokore Mampong Municipal Fire Commander, DO III Wikana Daniel, said firefighters faced significant challenges reaching the affected structures because of the congestion.
He told Citi News that personnel eventually brought the fire under control at about 7:13 a.m., preventing it from spreading further.
Mr Daniel has urged residents to provide accurate and detailed information when reporting emergencies to enable firefighters to locate incidents quickly and respond effectively.
Source: citinewsroom.com