Some 30 persons have been rendered homeless after fire destroyed their homes at Anlo Town in the New Juaben South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
Station Officer Daniel Tetteh of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said its preliminary investigation indicates that a lit match placed under a mattress by a six-year-old boy could have caused the disaster.
“After the fire work we did salvaging [items], we then proceeded to do interrogation and found out a six-year-old boy was playing in the third room. He struck a match, put it on a broom and placed it under a mattress.”
The fire incident occurred Tuesday evening lasting over three hours.
“The combustible materials are very high, it was a thatch room made up of wooden ceiling. Some had partitioned their rooms with plywood as well.”
Mr Tetteh was worried people do not still know their emergency numbers.
“One man said he had to pick a taxi to visit the nearest station to tell us about the fire.”
It took fire officers over two hours to douse the fire, using two tenders.
Five chamber and hall rooms were affected by the fire.
Mr Tetteh advised parents to avoid putting matches where children can have access to.
“Because of carelessness and ignorance, we have recorded this fire outbreak. We advise parents to stop putting matches at places where children can have easy access to.”
By Yvonne Neequaye|3news.com|Eastern Region|Ghana