Fire, explosions hit Michel Camp armoury

Reports reaching indicate an explosion at the armoury of the Michel Camp Barracks, the base of the First Infantry Battalion of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Witnesses say they heard a loud noise shortly after huge flames engulfed the armoury at the military base in Tema, in the Greater Accra Region.

A junior military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity says the Base Armory Depot (BAD), as it is known, holds a large consignment of explosives.

The fire is said to have started a little after midnight on Tuesday, followed by the loud explosions.

”I stood by my window to witness everything. My husband rushed out to check because initially, we thought it was one our neighbour’s house on fire. So he came back to confirm it was actually the arms depot…” a nursing mother narrated.

No casualties have been reported yet

Military chiefs from the Ghana Armed Forces say they are unsure what triggered the fire.

Firefighters have arrived at the scene to battle the raging fire.

Evacuation

Panic hit the residents close to the camp when the explosions started.

Patience, an eyewitness told Myjoyonline.com that when the explosions started she thought it was an earthquake.

“At a point, it felt like there was an earthquake. I was terrified. I still am. My baby woke up scared as well. I was only inside waiting for my husband’s direction as to what to do next,” Patience said.

The barracks, which .was initially sited away from civilian populations, is currently a neighbour to a densely populated area in the Tema municipality.

Reports indicate that heavy encroachment of lands belonging to the base by developers and other institutions put non-uniformed members of society at risks when such fire disasters strike.

Source: Myjoyonline