The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said it rescued or safely evacuated 479 people during three days of floods, fires and structural emergencies that claimed five lives and disrupted communities across Accra, Tema and surrounding areas.
The service said firefighters and rescue teams remained on high alert from Sunday, June 28, to Tuesday, June 30, responding to multiple fire outbreaks, flood incidents, rescue operations and a building collapse in collaboration with other emergency agencies.
The operations resulted in the rescue of 479 people. Five people died during the period, one person was injured and another remains missing, the GNFS said.
Emergency operations began on Sunday when firefighters contained two separate fires in Accra without any casualties.
At Lartebiokorshie, personnel from the Industrial Area Fire Station extinguished a domestic fire that destroyed one room and its contents while preventing the blaze from spreading to adjoining parts of the house.
Later that day, firefighters from the Trade Fair Fire Station brought a commercial fire under control at Labadi Kojo Sardine. Preliminary investigations suggest an overcharged solar panel battery may have caused the blaze, which partially damaged a metal container and its contents.
Firefighters also battled a fuel tanker fire at Asutuare Junction using four fire tenders. The tanker was destroyed, one person died and another sustained injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
On Monday, following heavy rainfall that triggered widespread flooding across Greater Accra and Tema, the GNFS intensified rescue operations with the Ghana Police Service Marine Unit, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Ghana Armed Forces.
At Tse-Ado Last Stop, the joint team rescued 105 people trapped by floodwaters, including 40 women, 20 men and 45 children.
In the Tema Region, firefighters responded to 23 emergency incidents within 24 hours, including six fires, eight flood-related emergencies and seven cases involving fallen trees.
The service said rescue teams saved 12 people trapped by floodwaters and assisted more than 50 residents to safety at Tema Newtown. However, one female trader remains missing after she was swept away near the Tema Community One Market.
Firefighters also responded to a four-storey building collapse at Tabora No. 6 in Accra. All 12 occupants had evacuated before the building collapsed, and no injuries or deaths were reported.
By Tuesday morning, rescue teams had concluded operations in the Adabraka-Odawna corridor, one of the areas worst affected by flooding, where more than 300 people were rescued.
Despite the rescue efforts, four people, three men and one woman died in the flooding.
The GNFS also brought a major fire at the Odawna Rubber Market near Kwame Nkrumah Circle under control, preventing it from spreading to nearby structures. No casualties were recorded, and a fire appliance has been deployed to monitor the area against possible re-ignition.
Summarising the three-day operations, the service said flood-related incidents accounted for four of the five fatalities recorded during the period, while one person died in the fuel tanker fire. One person was injured, all 12 occupants of the collapsed building survived, and one person remains missing following the flooding in Tema.
