Hardly a year passes without news of a fire outbreak in some parts of the country, causing fear and panic among the people.
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Floods and fire disasters that wrecked Ghana in 2019
The occurrence of fire disasters and floods are not a new phenomenon in Ghanaian history, with thousands of lives and millions of dollars lost every year.
Fire disaster
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This generates much discussion centering on rumors relating to politics, sabotage, misfortune, religious differences, etc.
Accra registered a record rainfall of five inches in the last nine years.
The heaviest rain ever recorded in the city fell in June 1959, when a volume of 7.56 inches was registered.
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The rain nearly brought normal life in the city to a standstill, with offices and shops closed and schoolchildren taking French leave.
Ghanaians experiencing floods and fire disasters in 2019 are not different from other years and Pulse.com.gh highlights the disasters that wrecked Ghana this year.
Fire sweeps through Odawna Market
In January 2019, as many as 150 stalls reckoned to have been burnt down after fire swept through the Odawna Market, otherwise called the Pedestrian Shopping Mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra.
No deaths or injuries were recorded, however, eyewitnesses said large quantities of goods of assorted nature belonging to traders were lost while fire personnel has had to battle the raging fire with all they have.
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The findings of an investigation into the fire incident indicated that the inferno occurred as a result of a faulty refrigerator.
Makola market on fire
The fire outbreak that occurred at the Makola Market in Accra on February 22, 2019, destroyed shops, stalls, and goods worth several thousands of Ghana Cedis.
The fire was said to have started around 7 am on Friday. Fire personnel supported by one fire tender battled the fires.
The fire service struggled to gain access to the basement of the mall, where the fire began, due to extensive smoke.
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The fire was believed to have started inside a hair shop, which spread throughout the market.
GRA office on fire
On Sunday, December 1, 2019, Fire gutted the office of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
It is unclear how the fire started but personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service were present to douse the fire.
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The acting Commissioner-General of the authority, Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, said no data were lost in the fire, as the authority had a back-up and an emergency recovery system on remote servers.
Fire outbreak at Zylofon TV
The property housing Zylofon TV has been gutted by fire, Monday, November 25, 2019, evening.
It is unclear what the cause of the fire is and whether there were any casualties but the Ghana Fire Service was at the scene to control and put out the fire.
University of Cape Coast floods
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Six hours of heavy rainfall has left several houses inundated and residents in Cape Coast and its environs trapped indoors.
Following the downpour which started Tuesday, major roads have been rendered impassable by motorists amid heavy vehicular traffic.
School authorities have cautioned parents not to risk bringing their wards to school considering the situation.
The University of Cape Coast has also suspended lectures as campus gets flooded.
The downpour in the Central region comes in the wake of a series of floods that have hit parts of the country in a surprise change in the rainfall pattern.
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Ashanti region floods
Five people have been confirmed dead and one missing following heavy rain that caused flooding in some parts of Kumasi in the Ashanti region.
Also, flooding struck in Obuasi after a downpour lasting around 2 hours on Wednesday, 15 May 2019. Reports said areas affected included Brahabebome, Tutuka, and Akaporiso.
This is one of several spates of flash flooding to affect the country since March this year.
Various parts of Ghana have seen periods of heavy rain from 13 May 2019.
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Upper East floods
Days of heavy rain in north-eastern Ghana and bordering areas of Burkina Faso have caused devastating flooding in the Upper East Region.
The affected districts include Bolgatanga, Kassena-Nankana Municipal (Navrongo),
Kassena Nankana West, Bawku Municipal, Builsa North, Builsa South, Binduri, Talensi, Garu-Tempane and Bongo.
It is reported that as many as 29 people may have died in flood-related incidents. Media reports also suggested that between 1,000 and 4,000 buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, including almost 2,000 in Kassena-Nankana Municipal, which includes the town of Navrongo and 830 in the Bongo district.
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Spillage from the Tono Irrigation Dam has left 844 hectares of farmland under water in Kassena-Nankana Municipal.
The high death toll was disputed by the government Minister Salifu Saeed, who visited affected areas.
He said 17 people were confirmed dead in the recent flooding in the region and "urged the public to disregard the early publication that said over 27 people had died."
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) said it is sending relief items to support communities affected by floods in the Upper East Region.
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Tema-Motorway turns dam
The flood inundated the Accra-Tema motorway on Monday, October 28, 2019, after about an hour of downpour in the national capital.
The rains flooded many homes in areas such as Legon and the 19-kilometer road (Tema motorway).
Even though the downpour was without the characteristic force that had occasioned many flood situations in the country, it rendered many streets impassable, leaving in its wake heaps of debris of mainly plastic materials as the waters forced their way through choked drains.
Apart from motorists encountering difficulties in driving in the rains, they also had to endure heavy traffic situations at some intersections.
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