Fire swept through some parts of the Koforidua Central Market yesterday. The fire which started around four-thirty pm when there were only a few people in the market destroyed about 20 stores and sheds. Clothes, jewellery, cosmetics and other goods worth thousands of Ghana Cedis were burnt to ashes.

According to an eye witness, someone was welding a container store in the market and in the process could have caused electrical malfunctioning, resulting in the fire.

It was alleged that when the Koforidua Fire Service was called to salvage the situation, the officers on duty had to seek permission from Accra before moving to the scene. It took the firemen more than 30 minutes to arrive at the scene. The fire was finally brought under control after an hour.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Kwadwo Affram Asiedu and the New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive Nana Adjei Boateng were at the scene to assess the extent of the damage caused.