Five individuals have been apprehended by the police in the Ashanti Region following an alleged assault on firefighters, resulting in one sustaining injuries.
The incident unfolded as the officers were responding to a fire outbreak at the Racecourse Market on Monday, March 11, 2024.
According to reports, the suspects accused the fire officers of tardiness in their response, which allegedly provoked them to hurl stones at the firefighters.
The fire, which ignited around 1 am on Monday, swiftly consumed a section of the Racecourse Market where foodstuff and ingredient vendors operated, affecting approximately 180 shops and causing significant damage.
D.O 3 Simon Ben Boadu, the Fire Commander for the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Fire Station, attributed the fire’s rapid spread to the assaults on the firefighting crew.
“Our preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated from one of the corn mills and due to the close proximity of the shops, it quickly spread to others, totaling around 180 shops,” stated Boadu.
He emphasized that investigations are ongoing and vowed to pursue the matter diligently. Boadu also underscored the importance of delivering appropriate consequences to the arrested suspects, emphasizing that it would serve as a deterrent against future attacks on firefighters.
