A raging fire swept through the European Town Railway enclave, popularly known as Rails Mu, on Monday, September 9, 2025, at Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in the Western Region, destroying dozens of structures.
The fire, which ignited between 4 AM and 5 AM, gutted approximately 50 wooden structures, including a church and several shelters used by commercial sex workers in the metropolis.
Reports suggest that the incident occurred on Monday, September 9, 2025, marking the second major fire in the area in exactly three years. The previous incident occurred on September 9, 2022, following a failed evacuation attempt by the Sekondi Metropolitan Assembly.
The affected Church strcuture among the structures lost was the International Glorious Greenland Ministries church.
Its founder, Pastor Mavis Torkonoo, expressed concern over the presence and activities of commercial sex workers in the community.
Residents, many of whom were asleep when the fire broke out, described the scenes of chaos and heartbreak.
A woman lamented the loss of school supplies for her child, while another shared how her children urged her to prioritize her life over material possesiin which she obliged and flee the scene.
An elderly fisherwoman accounted that she lost vital fishing equipment, including three nets.
“I quickly remebered today’s date to be 9th September, the same date, same destruction have occured again, I cannot fathom, we need answers,” another female resident lamented speaking to Nana Fynn of Angel New’s.
Deputy Western Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service, D.O. 1 Edith Dunyo, confirmed receiving a distress call around 5:30 AM.
She said frefighters responded swiftly, deploying tenders to contain the blaze and prevent further spread.
“It is by our timely intervention that prevented the fire from spreading further,” D.O. 1 Edith Dunyo noted and pledge continous investigations to ascertain the cause of the incident.
With two fires occurring on the same date three years apart, the residents are calling for a thorough investigation and long-term solutions to prevent future disasters in Rails Mu.
