According to fire fighters, the inferno, which spread quickly started at about 1:00am on Friday.

The cause of the fire is not officially known, but some traders say it started from one of the shops at the market.

Four fire tenders were called in to bring the fire under control. Properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis have been lost to the fire.

Speaking to Citi News, one of the traders said: “The fire started around 12.30am. We cannot tell the source of fire. Fire service personnel have to confirm the source of the fire.”

Another said: “I have goods in this market. I was called by my senior sister who informed me that there was a fire outbreak here. We are calling on government to take action on these fire incidents.”

“I was home when I was informed around 3:00am about the fire incident. We lost all of goods in the fire. We had Tin tomatoes, oil and other goods… I could not take anything. Government has to intervene,” one other trader said.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Deputy Chief Fire Commander, Ebonyi Amoah Gaddiel Napoleon, has said his outfit has commenced investigations into the incident.

–

By: Marian Ansah & Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Fire destroys over 70 shops at Abuakwa-Dadiease market appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

More than 200 firefighters are still tackling the blaze at Grenfell Tower in north Kensington, where hundreds of people are thought to live.

London Ambulance said 30 people are receiving hospital treatment.

The BBC’s Andy Moore said the whole 24-storey block had been alight and there were fears the building might collapse.

At 6.15 BST, London Ambulance Service said 20 ambulance crews had been at the scene, 30 people had been taken to hospital, but the nature and level of their injuries was not yet clear.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said a “major incident” had been declared.

At about 04:00 BST police said: “Residents continue to be evacuated from the tower block.”

Eyewitnesses said they have seen lights – thought to be mobile phones or torches – flashing at the top of the block of flats.

Others say residents – thought to be trapped inside – were seen coming to their windows.

Simon Lederman said firefighters had not been able to tackle the flames on higher storeys.

He said the tower could be seen burning “from miles away”, adding that the building had been “burning out of control”, from the tenth floor onwards.

Andy Moore added: “We’ve seen debris falling from the building, we’ve heard explosions, we’ve heard the sound of glass breaking.

“The police keep pushing back their cordons, pushing back members of the public for fear the building might collapse.”

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Dan Daly said firefighters were “working extremely hard in very difficult conditions to tackle this fire”.

“This is a large and very serious incident and we have deployed numerous resources and specialist appliances.”

London Ambulance Service medics specially trained in life-saving medical care in hazardous environments have also been sent to the fire.

The first reports of fire in the tower, in Latimer Road, on the Lancaster West Estate, came in at 00:54 BST.

The A40 Westway was closed in both directions. London Underground said the Hammersmith and City and Circle lines have been closed between Edgware Road and Hammersmith.

Safety concerns

According to Kensington and Chelsea Council, the tower block contains 120 flats and is 24 storeys high.

It is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council and had undergone a two-year, £10m refurbishment that was completed last year.

The work included new exterior cladding and a communal heating system.

The local Grenfell Action Group had claimed, before and during the refurbishment, the block constituted a fire risk and residents had warned that access to the site for emergency vehicles was “severely restricted”.

The BBC has been unable to contact the property’s management company in the hours since the fire.

One eyewitness, George Clarke, the presenter of Channel 4 TV programme Amazing Spaces, told Radio 5 Live: “I’m getting covered in ash, that’s how bad it is.

“I’m 100 metres away and I’m absolutely covered in ash.

“It’s so heartbreaking, I’ve seen someone flashing their torches at the top level and they obviously can’t get out.”

Jody Martin said he ran towards the building to try and help when he saw the fire.

He said he was shouting at people to “get out, get out” but that residents were shouting back that they were stuck as corridors inside the building were filled with smoke.

‘Building crumbling’

Tim Downie, another eyewitness, told the BBC part of the building was “completely burned away”.

“It has burned through to its very core,” he said.

“It looks very bad, very very bad. I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s just such a big fire.

“The whole building is just crumbling. It’s just billowing black smoke.”

Safiyah, who is about 500m away from the building, said: “There are lots of people gathered in the street. I just see more and more flames burning and tragically I hear people crying for help.

“The entire building is burning through.”

–

Source: BBC

The post London fire: Flames engulf tower block appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.