KUMASI, Ghana — 11 October 2026. The Ghana National Fire Service is investigating whether a problem associated with the return of electricity contributed to the fire that damaged part of Kumasi Central Market near Aboabo Station on Friday night, 9 October. Ashanti Regional Fire Commander ACFO I Peter Tetteh relayed an eyewitness account during a visit to the scene, but the service has not confirmed an electrical fault as the cause. The investigation remains open, according to MyJoyOnline's report of his remarks.
A government inspection following the blaze put the number of shops destroyed at 15. Authorities are assessing traders' losses and the structural condition of the affected section before deciding how businesses can resume operations.
What caused the Kumasi Central Market fire?
The cause is still unknown. Fire commander Peter Tetteh said witnesses noticed flames after electricity returned from a brief outage, raising a possible power-related explanation. Investigators have not confirmed that sequence caused the blaze, and no final technical findings have been announced.
What the Fire Service said about electricity returning
Tetteh told reporters that people at the market described a short interruption in the electricity supply. According to the account he received, power returned around three minutes after the outage, and the fire was then noticed. He presented this as preliminary eyewitness information rather than the finding of a completed investigation.
A witness can accurately recall when lights came back on without knowing where ignition began, which installation was involved or whether the electricity supply caused the flames. The reported sequence gives investigators something to examine; it does not prove that a power surge, wiring failure or any particular company's equipment caused the outbreak.
Tetteh made the comments while inspecting the damaged market area alongside Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga, Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene and Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi. No fire investigation finding has assigned responsibility to an electricity provider.
Firefighters faced congestion, not a reported water shortage
According to the regional commander, traders with some fire-safety training initially tried to tackle the flames using portable extinguishers. The fire spread beyond those efforts before crews arrived. He said the first appliance, dispatched from Asokore Mampong, reached the scene at 8:39 p.m. local time.
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Kumasi Market Fire: Power Restoration Probed as Cause Remains Unknown
Oct 11, 2026
Oct 11, 2026
5 min read
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Updated:
KUMASI, Ghana — 11 October 2026. The Ghana National Fire Service is investigating whether a problem associated with the return of electricity contributed to the fire that damaged part of Kumasi Central Market near Aboabo Station on Friday night, 9 October. Ashanti Regional Fire Commander ACFO I Peter Tetteh relayed an eyewitness account during a visit to the scene, but the service has not confirmed an electrical fault as the cause. The investigation remains open, according to MyJoyOnline's report of his remarks.
A government inspection following the blaze put the number of shops destroyed at 15. Authorities are assessing traders' losses and the structural condition of the affected section before deciding how businesses can resume operations.
What caused the Kumasi Central Market fire?
The cause is still unknown. Fire commander Peter Tetteh said witnesses noticed flames after electricity returned from a brief outage, raising a possible power-related explanation. Investigators have not confirmed that sequence caused the blaze, and no final technical findings have been announced.
What the Fire Service said about electricity returning
Tetteh told reporters that people at the market described a short interruption in the electricity supply. According to the account he received, power returned around three minutes after the outage, and the fire was then noticed. He presented this as preliminary eyewitness information rather than the finding of a completed investigation.
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A witness can accurately recall when lights came back on without knowing where ignition began, which installation was involved or whether the electricity supply caused the flames. The reported sequence gives investigators something to examine; it does not prove that a power surge, wiring failure or any particular company's equipment caused the outbreak.
Tetteh made the comments while inspecting the damaged market area alongside Local Government Minister Mahama Ayariga, Ashanti Regional Minister Dr Frank Amoakohene and Kumasi Mayor Richard Ofori Agyemang Boadi. No fire investigation finding has assigned responsibility to an electricity provider.
Firefighters faced congestion, not a reported water shortage
According to the regional commander, traders with some fire-safety training initially tried to tackle the flames using portable extinguishers. The fire spread beyond those efforts before crews arrived. He said the first appliance, dispatched from Asokore Mampong, reached the scene at 8:39 p.m. local time.
Five appliances were used during the response: four fire tenders and one water tanker. Tetteh said there was adequate water for firefighting, but access was difficult. Traders attempting to recover goods and other obstructions in the crowded market restricted the movement of emergency vehicles and crews even with police officers present.
Fifteen shops destroyed; assessments will determine assistance
The government said 15 shops were destroyed before the fire was contained, according to a separate MyJoyOnline account of Ayariga's inspection and statements. The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is expected to assess losses and help determine what support the affected traders may need.
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Ayariga said the government would consider assistance after the assessment. That was a commitment to review options, not an announcement of a fixed compensation amount or a date on which money would be paid. The total value of stock and property lost had not been established in the public updates reviewed for this report.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly plans structural integrity checks before affected shop owners can return to trading spaces. Officials discussed allowing temporary restoration ahead of the Christmas trading season, but only if engineers find the damaged areas safe for use. Traders should not read that proposal as immediate clearance to reopen.
Ayariga also said work on Phase Two of the Kejetia Market project would resume, describing the scheme as part of the effort to reduce congestion. No firm restart date was provided.
A second Kumasi fire in a matter of hours
The fire was first reported on 9 October, when the cause and extent of damage were still unknown. Citi Newsroom's initial coverage placed it near Aboabo Station and reported another fire at a mattress factory in Sokoban-Ampayoo earlier that evening.
3News also reported the two outbreaks within a three-hour period, while saying there was no immediate information connecting them. They should therefore be treated as separate incidents unless investigators establish otherwise.
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A further NewsGhana report described footage circulated by Kumasi radio station Zuria FM showing the flames and people removing goods. Such images can document the scale and urgency of a fire but cannot, on their own, establish its ignition source.
What traders should know while the inquiry continues
For shop owners, the most immediate issues are access to their premises, the loss assessment and whether damaged structures are safe. The authorities have identified NADMO's assessment and the assembly's engineering checks as the next steps. There is no verified timetable for completing either process in the statements reviewed.
The Ghana National Fire Service's workplace fire-safety guidance advises businesses not to overload electrical circuits, to replace damaged electrical cords, to keep escape routes workable and to use appropriate extinguishers with training. Its published emergency numbers include 192 and 112. These are general precautions, not findings about what caused this particular fire.
The outstanding questions are whether technical investigators can identify an ignition point, whether any electrical fault is confirmed, what the final loss assessment shows, and when engineers will certify the affected area for trading. Until those results are released, the most accurate description is a suspected power-restoration link under investigation, not a confirmed explanation for the Kumasi market fire.
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