A devastating fire has gutted the China City Mall located at Santasi in Kumasi, reducing the entire commercial complex to ashes and destroying goods worth thousands of cedis.
The blaze, which broke out on Thursday, October 30, 2025, spread rapidly through the mall, sending plumes of thick smoke into the sky that could be seen from several kilometres away.
According to officials from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the cause of the inferno is not yet known. Preliminary investigations, however, suggest the fire may have started from the rear section of the building before quickly spreading to engulf the entire facility.
“We received a distress call about the incident and dispatched two fire tenders immediately. Our men have been working tirelessly to bring the situation under control,” a GNFS officer told reporters at the scene.
Despite the swift response, firefighters were unable to save the structure, which housed several shops dealing in electronics, home appliances, clothing, and groceries.
Officials from the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), who were present to support recovery efforts, confirmed that no casualties had been recorded.
Eyewitnesses described the fire as overwhelming and fast-moving. “It was terrifying. Within minutes, the flames had consumed the entire mall — people couldn’t even recover their goods,” one shop attendant said.
The China City Mall, which opened earlier in 2025, had become one of the busiest shopping centres in Kumasi, attracting hundreds of customers daily from nearby communities.
The GNFS has since begun investigations to establish the exact cause of the fire and assess the full extent of the damage.
This tragedy adds to a worrying rise in market and commercial building fires across Ghana in recent months, sparking renewed calls for stricter fire safety enforcement and emergency preparedness in business premises.
