The Ghana Police Service has arrested a welder, Nana Williams Kwame Fordjour, for allegedly causing a fire outbreak at the Kumasi Kejetia Market in the Ashanti Region.

The suspect was reportedly hired by the market’s management to weld and lock up shops belonging to traders who had defaulted on service fees. However, while working on one of the shops, which owed GHS 1,200, the welding process sparked a fire, destroying the shop and its contents worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

The fire was swiftly brought under control by firefighters who were patrolling the market, preventing it from spreading to other shops.

Desmond Opoku, a night security supervisor at the market, told Kumasi FM’s Elisha Adarkwah that his team noticed the fire while on patrol.

He confirmed that the welder was working on the affected shop but stated that the security team was unaware of any formal authorization from management for the exercise.

Saddick Ahmed, the Health, Safety, and Environment Manager of the market, stated that while the welder may have been hired, he had not issued a permit for the work.

He added that investigations would determine whether the welder was following an existing permit or acted without proper authorization.

Confirming the arrest, ADOI Ebenezer Opoku, the Fire Officer in Charge of the Market, said investigations had been launched to determine the exact cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, the affected trader has appealed to the government and market management for support to help rebuild the business.