President of the Federation of Kejetia Traders Nana Kwasi Prempeh has revealed that all fire systems at the ultra-modern Kejetia Market were not working at the time the fire gutted the edifice.
“Just at the nearby shop where the fire started, there was a hydrant, but it wasn’t working. Our brothers tried to use it but the water was not flowing for almost fifteen minutes. So we can say on authority that the fire system in the market did not work when we needed them. All the fire detective systems did not work yesterday.” President of Federation of Kejetia Traders Nana Kwasi Prempeh told Angel FM in Kumasi in an interview.
Meanwhile, the Ghana National Fire Service Department at the market insist fire systems were in good shape hence they were working.
Nana Kwasi Prempeh also questioned how often the management of the market educate traders on the safety issue, especially fire-related issues.
“We are asking the Fire Service in the Market how often they run tests on the fire detective system. They don’t, we have not seen it before”, Nana Kwasi Prempeh said.
“We have raised some of these issues over the past months but nobody listened, today it is the same traders who are going to suffer”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei Mensah has directed the facility to be closed to business in order to allow for assessment of the damage caused and also find ways oof resolving immediate challenges
