Two judges lost chambers to fire

Fire on Wednesday swept through a court building in Kumasi, leaving the chambers of two judges in complete ruins.

It totally destroyed the record books files and every document there together with exhibits, air-conditioners and furniture.

It started at about 1030 hours when the courts were sitting and the incident sent people who had packed themselves in the courts fleeing to safer grounds.

The intervention of fire-fighters prevented it from spreading to other offices to wreak more havoc.

Eyewitnesses told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the extent of damage could have been minimized, if personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), had responded swiftly.

They said it took the personnel about 40 minutes to arrive after the fire had started adding that, the story would have been different, had they made it to the place a bit earlier.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Semekor Fiadzo, the Regional Fire Officer, however, discounted the claim that their response to the emergency was slow.

He said they received the distress call at 1100 hours, quickly responded and managed to confine the fire to the two chambers, which had already been engulfed.

Preliminary investigations, he said, pointed to a faulty air conditioner as the cause of the fire.

Source: GNA