Five people are feared dead in two separate fire outbreaks in Kumasi, Ashanti, and Dzodze, in Voltaregions between September 17 and 19 this year, respectively.
The two domestic fires burnt a-nine bedroom self-contained house, in Kumasi, Ashanti Region,and a chamber and hall apartment at Dzodze, in the Volta Region, which served as residential accommodation for respective families.
The incidents were disclosed in a statement signed by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Director of Public Relations, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Grade One (ACFO1), Timothy Osafo-Affum, copied the Ghanaian Times.
It said firefighters salvaged four out of the nine rooms from burning in the Kumasi incident while the chamber and hall, where petrol was kept was totally burnt in the Dzodze incident.
In the Kumasi incident, the victims were trapped and burnt to death because they could not open the burglar proof whiles in the Dzodze incident, the victims were burnt because they had stored fuel in the residence.
Further reports by JoyNews stated that in the Kumasi incident, a mother and her two children lost their lives where only the husband managed to escape with the support of some residents although he suffered injuries and was currently receiving treatment at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
However, the GNFS expressed its deepest regretsover the incident and advised the public “to ensure a balance in the provision of safety with security and not to over concentrate their attention on security at the expense of safety.”
“Also flammable substances such as petrol, diesel and gas are not to be stored in the living area at the home,” the statement warned.
It also called on the public to create emergency or alternate exits in homes and workplaces to facilitate safe escape from fire and related incidents.
The GNFS said “it is also advisable that each room in the home is fitted with early warning devices (Smoke Alarms) to alert occupants in the event of fire outbreaks to escape on time”.