Firefighters battled to stop the blaze from spreading through a busy part of the Eastern Regional capital, with the cause still unknown.
A fire has destroyed a number of shops and residential buildings close to the Central Police Station in Koforidua, the capital of Ghana's Eastern Region.
MyJoyOnline reports that several structures were consumed by the blaze, with personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) — the state agency responsible for fighting fires and rescue operations — deployed to the scene to bring it under control.
What is known so far
Firefighters were still working at the site, focusing on stopping the flames from reaching nearby properties in what is one of the busier commercial areas of the town.
The cause of the fire has not been established. There was also no immediate word on injuries or deaths, and no figure has been put on the value of the goods and buildings lost.
For traders in that part of Koforidua, the loss is likely to be heavy. Shops in the area typically hold stock on the premises, which means a fire that sweeps through a row of structures can wipe out both the building and a trader's entire capital in one night.
What happens next
The GNFS normally carries out an investigation after a fire of this scale to determine the cause, which in urban commercial areas often comes down to electrical faults, naked flames or the storage of flammable materials. No findings have been announced in this case.
More details are expected as officials assess the damage and speak to affected shop owners and residents.
For readers abroad
Ghanaians in the United States and elsewhere with family or business interests in Koforidua should wait for confirmed official figures before acting on social media claims about the extent of the damage. Early reports of fires of this kind are often incomplete, and casualty and loss figures can change significantly once fire service and police assessments are completed.
