Fire has destroyed a warehouse and at least six residential houses at Laterbiokorshie in Accra.

The blaze, which started on Tuesday afternoon, is believed to have originated from a Chines-owned warehouse storing highly combustible materials like shoes and bags.

An eyewitness, name withheld, told the Ghana News Agency that he saw flames in the sky and rushed to the scene to assist to quench the fire at 1500 hours.

“When I came her, I saw six houses burning and in inflames. So I saw the firefighters here trying their best to extinguish the fire,” he said.

According the eyewitness, a man was rescued from one of the affected houses after he was found unconscious.

He also disclosed that one firefighter collapsed during the operation.

An official of the fire service, who requested anonymity, said the major challenge in dealing with the fire was the lack of fire hydrants in the residential area which made it difficult to replenish the water supply of the fire tenders.

He explained that a fully-loaded fire tender can run out of water in as little as 15 minutes, especially when multiple hoses are in use.

“The ideal thing is that Ghana Water Company is supposed to build hydrants. In urban settings, within every 150 meter, there should be a fire hydrant, “the official said.

He noted that although the firefighters were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjoining warehouses and other residential facilities, they had to rely on bringing in more water from a distance.

Both the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) and the Member of Parliament (MP) were at the fire scene to observe the efforts.

No casulties were reported at the time of the report, a fact for which officials expressed gratitude.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation as the forensic expert from the Ghana National Fire Service are expected to commence work today.