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Two Dead as Ghana National Fire Service Battles Major Industrial Blaze at Avenor and Akweteyman

A devastating fire at the North Industrial Area in Avenor, Accra, has claimed the lives of two people, including a two-week-old baby, and destroyed a major PVC warehouse. The inferno, which erupted early Thursday morning, October 1, 2026, sent thick plumes of smoke across the capital and required a coordinated response from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the Ghana Police Service, and the military. The GNFS received the distress call at 7:18 am and arrived to find the Duraplast warehouse and several surrounding wooden structures engulfed in flames. By 11 am, the fire was brought under control after firefighters engaged the blaze from multiple flanks. Firefighting operations at the Avenor site were significantly hampered by the presence of wooden kiosks and other illegal structures that blocked access to the industrial enclave. To reach the heart of the fire, the GNFS was forced to demolish several structures. While the fire service has not yet officially confirmed the cause of the disaster, eyewitness accounts suggest the blaze was triggered by a gas cylinder explosion. The intense heat and smoke also affected nearby facilities, including the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) office, prompting emergency personnel from the Ghana Ambulance Service to remain on standby. Residents and motorists were urged to avoid the area to allow emergency teams room to operate. In a separate but nearby incident on the same evening, firefighters from the Legon Fire Station were called to a domestic fire in Akweteyman at approximately 10:20 PM. This fire broke out in an apartment near the 1Living God Preparatory School, completely destroying a three-chamber-and-hall unit and all personal belongings within. Despite the severity of the damage to the single unit, fire personnel arrived within 20 minutes and successfully prevented the flames from spreading to twelve adjacent apartments. No casualties were reported in the Akweteyman incident, and the fire was fully extinguished by midnight. These twin fire incidents highlight the ongoing challenges of fire safety and emergency access in Accra's industrial and residential zones. The tragedy in Avenor, which follows a major fire at the Accra Water Works in June, has renewed calls for better zoning and the removal of obstructions that delay emergency responses. Investigations into both the Avenor industrial fire and the Akweteyman domestic fire are currently being conducted by the Ghana National Fire Service to determine the exact causes and assess the full extent of the property damage.