A Tata truck carrying assorted goods for distribution has been completely destroyed by fire at Habitat, a suburb of Assin Fosu in the Central Region.
The vehicle was transporting various items, including cartons of mosquito sprays, candles, air fresheners, batteries, insecticides, and other household products when the incident occurred.
According to eyewitness accounts, the driver and sales personnel had stopped in the area to deliver goods to a shop when they noticed a damaged metal component on the truck.
A welder was subsequently engaged to repair the fault on-site.
However, during the welding process, sparks are believed to have ignited flammable materials inside the vehicle, leading to a rapidly spreading fire.
Residents say the blaze intensified within minutes, resulting in explosions from within the truck as efforts were made to contain the situation.
Despite frantic attempts by bystanders to put out the fire, the vehicle and its entire cargo were completely gutted before emergency services brought the situation under control.
The welder involved, who identified himself as Kenneth, described the incident as devastating.
He said attempts were made to extinguish the fire, including the use of fire extinguishers, but the blaze quickly got out of control.
Meanwhile, personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service later arrived at the scene and succeeded in bringing the fire under control.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), led by Assin Fosu District Director Lawrence Darkwa Monney, visited the scene to assess the damage and determine the cause of the fire.
Mr. Monney cautioned the public to exercise extreme care when conducting welding activities near flammable materials, warning that such negligence can lead to avoidable disasters.
The incident has left the affected sales personnel distressed as they counted losses running into thousands of cedis.
