Fire destroys properties including condoms at Tarkwa

A fire outbreak at the Tarkwa Railway Station has reportedly destroyed properties worth thousands of Ghana Cedis including condoms.

According to DO2 Alex Assiem, Tarkwa Divisional Fire Commander, the unit received a distress call that there was a fire in the area. He said the vicinity is a hotbed for prostitution in the area and as his team brought the fire under control, they saw condoms which were part of the properties burnt by the fire.

“We had a call that there was an outbreak at the Tarkwa Railway Station. We were able to bring the fire under control shortly after arriving at the scene. Where the fire broke out is a place known for prostitution,” Alex Assiem said as quoted by 3News.

“About 35 structures belonging to one landlord who has rented them out to the prostitutes have all been razed down. They have lost almost all their properties including furniture, electrical appliances, and many others.

Adding that “We also saw a lot of condoms slightly burnt. But we were able to prevent the fire from spreading to adjourning structures”.

Mr Alex Assiem said the fire might have been caused by heaters that were left unattended. He said the area is noted for frequent fire outbreaks. As a result, his unit has organized a series of fire education in the area.

“Some of them smoke in their structures, others use water heaters and many others. So we suspect some of the water heaters were left unattended and that could have caused the fire. We have organized a series of fire education in that area because of frequent fire outbreaks,” he stated.

Per reports, the fire started at around 4:00 PM on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. The area is popular for prostitution and according to reports, most of the prostitutes there are Nigerians. Reports say, there have been several attempts to flush out the prostitutes from the area but to no avail.