A six-year old little boy has burnt down a five chamber and hall house at Anlo town in Koforidua rendering its inhabitants numbering about 30 homeless.
The fire which was started around 5pm on Tuesday evening burnt the entire building into ashes destroying properties worth several millions of Ghana Cedis.
It took personnel of the Ghana Fire service who reached the scene some few minutes with two Fire Tenders close to two hours to bring the fire under control.
Some of the victims explained that the young boy after starting the fire in one of the rooms came out to ask for a mobile phone to call his mother who was not in the house at the time. According to them, it was the coming out of the room to ask for the mobile phone that saved the boy, adding he may have died in the course of the outbreak.
The Ag. Eastern Regional Fire Service Public Relations Officer, Station Officer 1 Daniel Tetteh, who spoke with the media said preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was caused by a six-year old boy who was playing in the room. According to the PRO, the boy lighted a match and placed it under a mattress leading to the fire.
“A little boy, who was playing in room three, lighted a match and placed it under a mattress. When he saw that the mattress had caught fire, he went out without telling anybody. By the time they realized, the fire had gotten out of hand.” He said.
He added that “because they did not know the number of the Fire Service to call, one man by name Samuel quickly picked a car to the nearest Fire Station to inform them.
Station Officer 1 Tetteh said, though this is the information they have now, the Fire Service will still continue with their investigation.
Advice
Station Officer 1 Tetteh advised the general public to continue to pay attention to the fire safety tips the Fire Service has been given. He also advised parents not to put inflammable materials and materials that can light fire within the reach of children. He said carelessness and ignorance are the main causes of fire outbreaks and so all Ghanaians should remain vigilant in order to prevent avoidable fire outbreaks.
Source: eveningmailgh.com
