The outdoor restaurant of Paloma Shopping Arcade in Accra was on Thursday destroyed by fire.

It took firemen from the National Fire service about one hour to put out the fire after responding to distress announcements by FM radio stations.

Mr Cyril Chinery, Public Relations Officer of the Arcade, told newsmen that the fire was detected at about 10 am by a passer-by who alerted the staff.

He could not immediately tell the cause, neither could he give the cost of damage to property, which included plastic chairs, tables, cash machine and refrigerators.

It is however suspected that a spark from burning rubbish behind the building might have torched the thatch roof of the restaurant.

Mr Michael Gabianu, Second-in-Command of the Industrial Area branch of the Fire Service, complained about the attitude of the public who impeded their work.

He said disaster zones are restricted areas so people should allow the professionals to perform their duty without any obstructions.