ACCRA, Jan 1 (Futball Surgery)- Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) Tema branch earth surface cables, behind Lube Oil Company, are severely damaged after fire incident gutted parts of the cable network on New Year Eve.
Images seen show a severely burnt electric cables displaced on earth surface just under a high tension pole with a group of individuals supposedly from the power distribution company on the site for inspection.
The fire, according to local people, set on around 5pm on Tuesday December 31. The extent of damage means cables need to be replaced with new ones to enable sustainable restoration of power in the affected areas.
Nearby communities, Adjetey Ansah, the Naval Quarters, Aunty Kate, Leonardo, and Bankuman according to Myjoyonline, were left without power on Tuesday, for most of the areas until the next day.
The incident comes in as a major blow to the affected areas and the ECG company in which the incident shaped lives in the New Year Eve but as at Wednesday Jan 1 power cut had been restored in all affected areas in the Greater Accra region.
The ECG Tema Region Public Relations Officer Ms. Sakyiwaa Mensah has praised the Ghana National Fire Service, the country’s interior ministry agency responsible for the prevention and management of undesired fire, for their timely intervention in bringing the fire outbreak under control.
Ms. Mensah told the media the cost of damaged cables depends on “completed assessment” which will reveal the extent of damage, but it is learnt that assessment is ongoing.
“Until this assessment is done, it will be difficult for us to ascertain the cost associated.” She, however, added that “it will definitely be an appreciable cost as the damage is major.” She apologized to the affected customers who had no power to usher in the new year due to this fire incident.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown. And there are no theories either, to establish initial cause of the mini fire outbreak on tema cables. This is also affected by a country where there is low research and investigations into private and public sector disasters.
Ms. Mensah further cautioned the public to handle open fire more carefully in dry weather and in bushes, as bushes can easily catch fire and cause massive damage to property and businesses.
