General News of Wednesday, 16 January 2019

Source: starrfmonline.com

Michel camp fire: Your homes are safe; return – Fire service to residents

Fire Service has given assurance to residents of Michel Camp, who were evacuated from their homes Fire Service has given assurance to residents of Michel Camp, who were evacuated from their homes

The Fire Service has given assurance to residents of Michel Camp, who were evacuated from their homes, over the Tuesday night explosion at the military laboratory, to return because their homes are safe now.

Some residents of the area had in an interview with Morning Starr expressed fears over returning to their homes.

However, spokesperson of the Fire Service Ernest Robertson Okoh told Morning Starr that his men on the grounds have given clearance to the safety of the area and resident should be rest assured of their safety.

“Around 4:30 am, we successfully put out the fire. There were no casualties. If the Michel Camp is not safe, our men on the ground would have returned. I can assure all that the place is safe,” he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr.

He, however, said the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained.

Huge fireball explosions reached hundreds of meters into the skies over Michel Camp during the wee hours of Wednesday after the weapon cache caught fire.

Residents say the explosions were at the Base Ammunition Depot of the Ghana Armed Forces and multiple blasts could be heard for over an hour.

Most of the residents, who were fast asleep, had to run for their lives moments after the explosions at midnight amidst power outage.

“Residents in the bordering communities have to evacuate to safer grounds. People were heading towards Aflao, Tema, Afienya and Apollonia.

“The explosion occurred at a laboratory where small arms are kept and the Fire Service managed to prevent it from spreading to where the highly explosive weapons are kept,” a journalist, Moses Dautey, told Starrfmonline.com.

A military source said one of the heavy explosives “fused out” towards Gulf City – a densely populated community.