Yutong bus gutted by fire on Mankessim-Accra highway; all passengers safe

Emergency responders successfully contained a major fire that engulfed a Yutong passenger bus on the Mankessim–Accra highway in the Central Region early Wednesday morning. The Ghana National Fire Service received a distress call at approximately 4:34 a.m. and mobilised firefighting crews to the scene along the busy route.

When firefighters arrived, the bus was already fully consumed by flames. Passengers and bystanders had attempted to extinguish the blaze before help arrived, but the intensity of the fire proved too great. The crew deployed hoses and launched a full-scale firefighting operation, working to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby vehicles and roadside vegetation.

After nearly three hours of continuous operations, firefighters successfully brought the fire under control by 7:12 a.m. Preliminary investigations by the Ghana National Fire Service revealed that an electrical fault was the cause of the fire. The blaze completely destroyed the vehicle, which was beyond repair.

Beyond the bus itself, the fire consumed passengers' luggage, personal belongings, and approximately twenty crates of beverages being transported on board. However, firefighters managed to salvage some of the travellers' possessions before they were consumed by the flames, helping minimise losses. No casualties were reported, and all passengers escaped the incident safely.

Following successful extinguishment, the fire service crew conducted thorough safety checks to rule out any risk of reignition and secured the scene before departing at 7:18 a.m.