Burnt transformer throws Kotobabi residents into darkness (Friday, January 25, 2013 pg) 3

An electricity transformer at Kotobabi in Accra caught fire on Wednesday night, plunging the community into darkness

Officials of the fire service responded quickly to douse the flames and eventually prevented it from causing any damage to life and property.

No casualty was recorded in the incident which eye witnesses said started at around 7pm. Even though the cause of the fire could not be established, speculations were that it was caused by overloadding.

“We saw smoke coming out of the building and then the power went off. The fire service arrived on time to deal with the situation,” a resident, Steven Anyanui, told the Daily Graphic.

When the Daily Graphic got to the scene, fire officers were putting the last flames in the transformer which is housed in a concrete structure and surrounded by homes.

In spite of the danger, a large crowd was milling around the structure as fire officers struggled for space to put out the fire.
Speaking the Daily Graphic, Station Officer Emmanuel Tettey Tei, the leader of the fire service team said they had received the call to duty from a colleague in the area.

“Upon arrival, we realised that it was an electricity fire and you can’t fight it with water to we called our master control room and they immediately called the ECG.”

According to the fire officer, even though the power went out on its own, the ECG officials arrived and they worked together to bring the fire under control.

Like most communities in Accra, residents have built houses and kiosks very close to the transformer oblivious of the hazard that comes with it.

In that respect, Mr Tei advised residents to desist from building close to overhead cables saying “fire will not warn you when  it is coming.”

Just after the fire was put out, the Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso Central, Mr Henry Quartey, said information he gathered indicated that the fire was as a result overloading.

“It appears the transformer does not have the capacity to handle the power requirement of the area.”
He was, however, optimistic that the problem would be fixed to restore power to the area.

When contacted the District Engineer, Mr George Maclean, would not comment on the cause of the fire but said an assessment indicated that the transformer was 80 per cent okay.

He, however, said if later test indicated that the transformer was damaged beyond use, a mobile transformer would be provided for the area until a permanent one could be installed.