Investigations are underway to unravel circumstances that led to Wednesday morning’s fire at the premises of the Mighty Gas Station in Ho in the Volta Region.
A statement from the management of the gas filling station noted that: “the cause of the accident is currently unknown and still under investigation by the Ghana Fire Service. Mighty Gas is cooperating with the Fire Service and other regulatory bodies to ensure a thorough investigation”.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, November 11, 2020, at about 5:10 am.
Authorities say although some staff members and customers have sustained injuries, the fire was quickly restricted to the gas filling point due to the safety systems put in place.
No deaths have however been recorded as a result of the inferno.
The company has temporarily shut down to pave way for thorough assessment, repairs and improvements.
It is still unclear, the cause of the incident.
“Our sincerest sympathies to all injured and the public of this sad event. We wish casualties a speedy recovery. The general public will be informed of any developments that come up”, the company added in its statement.
Victims
14 persons who sustained various degrees of burns after they were affected by the fire are receiving treatment at the Ho Teaching Hospital.
Officials of the Volta Regional Fire Service say the affected persons were at the gas station waiting to purchase gas when the incident occurred.
The second in Command at the Volta Regional Fire Service Station, Divisional Officer Grade 1 Prince Billy Anaglatey in a Citi News interview, said investigations are underway to determine the source of the explosion.
“Actually, we’re still investigating to determine what might have initiated this fire. We had a distress call at around 5 am, and we quickly rushed to the scene. When we got there, there were people at that time waiting to buy gas and the incident occurred.”
“It is now difficult trying to establish the facts because those who were working at the place at the time of the incident are all at the hospital receiving treatment. So we are here with officials from the EPA and NPA trying to establish the cause of the incident.”
Meanwhile, the Administrator of the Mighty Gas Company, Daniel Nibi says the company is footing the bills of the injured and has temporarily halted operations.
“Until they come with a clear directive, everything will be shut down. We are with the victims at the hospital and also taking care of their bills and also monitoring the situation,” he said.