A member of the public relations unit of the Ghana National Fire Service, Alex King Nartey, has called out the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, over what he describes as an attempt to engage in self-aggrandizement at the expense of hardworking firefighters.

Reacting to a viral video from the scene of the Adum Market fire, where Dr. Amoakohene was captured calling out firefighters for failing to show enthusiasm in fighting the blaze, King Nartey questioned the motivation behind the minister's actions while noting their impact on the morale of the officers.

"He could have easily just approached any of our officers or the commander at the scene without having to necessarily put a camera on himself to create a spectacle. To what end? Because at Kantamanto, there was no shouting, but we were able to quench the fire.

"So what was the essence of the shouting with the cameras there, just to create a scene that you are working? When the men who are actually working and putting their lives on the line were being demoralised, who does that?" he told TV3 in an interview.

The PRO highlighted the challenges faced by firefighters in their line of duty, contrasting them with motivating factors such as insurance to compensate for injuries and other risks.

"One of our officers fell from the top and is at the hospital right now. We don't have health insurance, we don't have any height allowance, there are no allowances. I can tell you that the firefighter who got injured would have to use his own money to cover the expenses and later file for a refund.

"The president himself acknowledged the efforts of the firefighters and came to say thank you. Where was the thanks from the honourable minister? There was nothing; he just wanted to criticize our men and then demoralize them. Our men were highly demoralized; it took self-motivation to get them back on their feet. So to what end do you have to shout at our men and behave as if you don't know?" he stated.

On March 21, 2025, a fire broke out at Adum Market, located in the heart of Kumasi's Central Business District in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The blaze started in the early hours of the morning, around 6:00 AM, and rapidly spread through a multi-storey commercial building, engulfing shops selling items such as mobile phones, accessories, jewellery, clothing, and second-hand goods.

The exact cause remains under investigation by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), which has been at the scene since the outbreak.

Firefighters faced challenges in containing the blaze due to the market's congested layout and limited access routes, with narrow alleyways and closely packed wooden structures hampering their efforts. The GNFS deployed multiple fire tenders, but the highly combustible materials in the shops fueled the inferno's rapid spread.

However, the Ashanti Regional Minister, who had been visiting the site of the inferno on Friday night, expressed frustration at the firefighters for their lack of commitment in fighting the blaze.

In response, Alex King Nartey accused the minister of seeking to embarrass the officers for social media trends and implored him to instead familiarize himself with the operations of firefighters.

"Don't be quick to embarrass the hardworking firefighters for social media trends and attention without familiarizing yourself with our operations," he wrote in a Facebook post.

GA

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