Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom has been “shocked” by the fire that destroyed parts of his Coconut Grove Hotel on Saturday evening, PPP Chairman, Nii Allotey Brew-Hammond has said.
Speaking to Citi News after inspecting the extent of damage from the fire incident, Mr. Brew Hammond said they believe that the extent of destruction from the fire could have been minimal if the Fire Service was adequately resourced to deal with the fire on the onset.
[contextly_sidebar id=”GuFnJNwnA037FiOxap892zwXPxlNQB0T”]“It was a shock to all of us, the CEO of Groupe Nduom is aware of it, he has been informed. The fire department has come to do its best together with the Airforce fire department, we are now out to assess the damage…. He was shocked. In my interaction with him a few hours ago was a sense of shock and believes that it was something that could be avoided if the fire department was properly resourced with water and fire hydrants and all of what it takes to put out a small fire that ought not to spread to the degree it did,” he said.
A part of the hotel that houses Business Television Africa (BTA), Amansan TV (ATV), GN Bank and Gold Coast Securities was ravaged by fire around 4.30pm.
Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, who owns the affected properties and is also the founder of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP).
Only two weeks ago the roof of the presidential candidate’s Elmina Stadium was ripped off by a rainstorm.
It took the combined efforts of personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service and the Fire Department of the Ghana Air Force more than 3 hours to contain the fire.
Meanwhile, managers of the hotel have revealed that the inferno was sparked by fire from an air-conditioning facility at Amansan Television (ATV) which shares a compound with the hotel.
A statement from the hotel clarified that its restaurant, conference facilities and guest rooms were not affected by the fire.
“It is important to note that the Regency Hotel and its restaurant, guest rooms and conference facilities are intact and were not touched by the fire,” it said.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor