Sekyere South: 82-year-old man burnt to death at Tano-Odumasi

Investigations have been launched into the circumstances surrounding the death of an 82-year-old man after a fire gutted his room at Tano Odumasi-Ahenbronum in the Ashanti Region last Wednesday.

The charred body of the deceased was discovered when his family noticed a cloud of thick smoke billowing from his room.

The police from the Sekyere South District Command were called in to convey the body of the deceased to the morgue.

“An incident of such nature has occurred”, the spokesperson for the Ashanti Regional Fire Service, DO III Peter Addai confirmed to dailymailgh.com. “The fire happened in his room which has no electricity and so the police were called in to convey the body [to the morgue]”.

The sad incident has left residents in shock.

15 perish in fire outbreak in Ashanti

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in the Ashanti Region recorded a total of 656 fire disaster cases at the end of 2022.

This figure was a 101 increase over the 555 cases recorded in 2021.

Divisional Officer Three (DOIII), Peter Addai, the Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO), detailing this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, said in 2022, domestic fires recorded 431 cases, bushfires were 197 and industrial fire outbreaks were 28.

Out of these outbreaks, 15 people lost their lives.

DOIII Addai indicated that the cost of damages for 2022 fire incidents was estimated at GH₵27,453,325.00.

These mishaps according to the PRO, were mainly due to the careless use of electricity and electrical appliances, unattended cooking, misuse of naked lights, fires emanating from gas leakages and indiscriminate burning of rubbish and bushes.

The GNFS had to battle with ageing fire tenders, inadequate resources, and the attitude of some residents towards fire safety precautions.

Again, some districts that did not have fire stations had personnel travelling long distances to respond to fire calls, a situation which led to delays and extensive fire destruction.

Regional safety intensifies

DOIII Addai noted that, notwithstanding the challenges and depths of fire disasters, the GNFS was poised to intensify a regional fire safety educational campaign especially, house-to-house, and religious centers, adding that, the service had already activated regional Anti-Bush Fire Campaigns as the dry season sets in.

Again, the GNFS was going to liaise with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) to create fire posts within major markets that did not have them and conduct regular fire inspections and audits at public premises within the region.

DOIII Addai called on the district assemblies which were owners of the various market centers to properly plan the markets to ease congestion and improve access to emergency services.

He urged Ghanaians to adhere to fire education to safeguard properties and lives.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH