BUT FOR the timely intervention of the Tema Regional Fire Service, there would have been another fire disaster in the country, at the Tema Central Market.

In connection with the incident, the Tema Community One District Police arrested Florence Adomako-Ansah and Aaron Adomako, owners of the Victory Books Enterprise, who were suspected to have set the shop ablaze over litigation.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the bookshop had been under lock and key for over a month, due to a court injunction.

A plugged water heater with a gallon of petrol under a table and on the brink of catching fire was found in the bookshop after some items in the shop got burnt before the arrival of the Fire Service personnel.

The incident occurred last Thursday at about 5:00 pm when traders were in the process of closing for the day, due to a regulation set by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) for traders to close by 6:00pm for the night surveillance team, made up of members of all the security agencies in Tema, to take over protection of the market against arson.

Florence Adomako-Ansah and Aaron Adomako, according to information gathered by DAILY GUIDE, were on the day of the incident, detained and made to appear in court on Friday where they were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and arson. They had been remanded to reappear at a later date.

The Victory Bookshop owners were said to owe Jonathan Aryee, a money lender, an amount of GH¢10,000 and having paid GH¢8,000 with the balance not forthcoming, Jonathan caused a bailiff to lock up the shop over a month ago.

Eyewitnesses told DAILY GUIDE that smoke was seen emanating from the bookshop, which was about two meters away from a Total Filling Station. An alarm was raised, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) called in, and they quickly rushed to the scene to obviate what could have been another fire disaster in the country.

The GNFS personnel were said to have found a gallon of petrol hidden under

a table in the shop while a water heater had been plugged into a socket with smoke emanating from the place, resulting in the burning of some electrical appliances in the shop.

Owners of the shop, however, denied knowledge of the incident, pointing accusing fingers at the money lender.

The suspected arsonists were said to have used the back door of the shop which was detected by the Tema Police to have been tampered with, to enter with a gallon of petrol and plugged the heater to burn a rubber bucket which could heighten by the time the traders closed.

Kuntu Blankson, Metropolitan Fire Officer, wondered why one would intentionally plug water heater and leave a gallon of petrol in a shop which had been under lock for over a month.

DCOP Maxwell Atengane, the Tema Police Commander, warned persons who might attempt setting the Tema Market ablaze that the Regional Police was on the lookout for them.

Kempes Robert Ofosuware, the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) reiterated the city authority’s commitment to ensuring the safety of the market against arsonists.

Source: DAILY GUIDE

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