Fire ravages Duraplast, Ashfoam factories at North Industrial Area
Accra — A massive fire outbreak swept through the North Industrial Area at Avenor in Accra in the early hours of Thursday, October 1, destroying properties and gutting the premises of plastics manufacturing firm Duraplast Ghana.
The blaze, which reportedly started around 7:30 a.m. at Kofikrom near the ECG Avenor office, quickly intensified, sending thick plumes of smoke across the industrial enclave and forcing residents, traders and workers to flee.
Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service responded with multiple fire engines, but operations were initially hampered by poor access. Cargo trucks and illegal temporary structures blocked routes to the fire scene, while large quantities of plastic materials in the area fuelled the blaze.
The fire spread into the Duraplast factory, destroying its entire pipe stock and water storage tanks. The Marketing Manager of Duraplast, Emmanuel Donkor, said the fire started from illegal structures behind the company’s wall and disclosed that the company’s fire hydrants were empty at the time, forcing them to seek emergency support from Ghana Water.
The Commanding Officer of the 48 Engineer Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Osei Amponsah, said military personnel were deployed to demolish temporary structures blocking access routes to allow fire engines to move closer.
Two people, including a two-week-old baby, are feared dead, though authorities are yet to officially confirm the casualties. An eyewitness, identified as Mohammed, alleged the fire may have been triggered by an exploding gas cylinder after a woman who was cooking for her children briefly left it in a child’s care.
Meanwhile, workers of Ashfoam Ghana at Avenor recounted how fire safety training received from the Ghana National Fire Service helped them prevent the fire from spreading to their premises. The workers said they quickly watered their walls and moved away from the Duraplast side; a move they credited to the periodic training they had previously considered unnecessary.
The Ghana National Fire Service says firefighters have now contained the blaze from different flanks, with no further spread recorded. The cause of the fire and the full extent of damage are yet to be officially established as investigations continue.
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