A fire outbreak in the early hours of Thursday, August 27, 2026, has destroyed about 300 wooden structures along the Aboabo Pelele stream at Asawase in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The blaze displaced several families and destroyed homes, shops and personal belongings, although no casualties have been reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. However, preliminary information gathered by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) suggests that a heater reportedly plugged in by one of the residents to boil water may have triggered the fire.
Some residents have also raised concerns about activities in the area, suggesting that suspected narcotics use could have contributed to the incident. These claims have not been independently confirmed.
One victim said she was asleep when residents began raising the alarm.
“I was asleep and around 5:30 a.m., I heard people shouting that our structures were burning. When I woke up, I saw that the fire had caught my mattress. I did not even bother to pick anything and quickly ran out. When the fire service personnel arrived, a lot of our properties had already been destroyed,” she recounted.
Another victim, who operates a provision store, said goods he had recently purchased were destroyed.
“I have a provision store here and just yesterday I brought items worth about GH¢60,000 to stock it and now the fire has destroyed them all,” he said.
Another resident expressed relief that no lives had been lost despite the extent of the destruction.
“So far we have not heard that someone has been injured or dead and we thank God for that, even though our properties have been destroyed,” the resident said.
Firefighters faced access challenges
Personnel from the Asokore Mampong station of the GNFS were dispatched to the scene but encountered difficulties accessing the affected area because the wooden structures had blocked the available routes.
Speaking to the media, the Fire Commander for Asokore Mampong, DO III Wikana Daniel, said the command received the distress call at about 6:03 a.m., while firefighters arrived at the scene at 6:17 a.m.
He said the team eventually gained access to the area and brought the fire under control by 7:12 a.m.
“The wooden structures had blocked access routes, making it difficult for us to get close to the fire, but we managed to access the scene and brought the fire under control. No casualties have been recorded, but about 300 wooden structures have been destroyed,” he said.
DO III Wikana Daniel said investigations had commenced to establish the exact cause of the fire.
“Preliminary information gathered suggests that someone plugged in a heater, and it is believed that may have caused the fire outbreak, but as professionals we are now investigating to confirm whether it is true or not,” he said.
Victims begin rebuilding
Within an hour of the fire being brought under control, some affected residents had started rebuilding their wooden structures, even before officials of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) could assess the extent of the damage.
The victims are appealing for urgent assistance to help them recover from the incident and are also calling for measures to prevent similar fires in the densely populated area.
Also read:
