A woman and her two children, including a breastfeeding baby, have been burnt to death in a fire outbreak at New Takoradi in the Western Region.
The woman, about 30 years and her children; about one-and-a-half-year-old boy and eight-month old baby girl, were taking their bath in a compound house Friday morning when the fire started.
Premix fuel, which was stored close to the bathroom in the house and was being transferred into another barrel in close proximity to a naked fire, triggered the inferno at about 9:00 a.m., eyewitnesses told 3news.com.
The woman and her children were said to have been caught up in the inferno. Their bodies were discovered only after the fire had been extinguished by neighbours.
Two others, the man who was pouring the fuel and the woman who was cooking on a coal pot close by suffered burns and have been rushed to hospital for treatment.
Bodies of the three have since been deposited at the Efia Nkwanta Hospital mortuary.
Assemblyman for New Takoradi Lower Down, Gilbert Siaw Afriyie, who helped to douse the fire, said they did not know the woman and her kids were in the bathroom at the time, indicating there was no shout or cry for help.
He suspected the three were weakened by the heat from the inferno.
According to him, immediately the fire started, they informed the Ghana National Fires Service and also called the Electricity Company of Ghana to cut power to the area while they fought the fire with sea water, sand and wet blankets.
Divisional fire officer at the Sekondi Fire Metro Station, Michael Tetteh, told our correspondent Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson at the scene that they received a call about fire outbreak at the New Takoradi Lower Down at about 9:16 a.m.
He said they mobilized and rushed to the area within seven minutes but when they got there, the fire had already been doused by the people around.
The fire officer said they were informed of how the fire started and the fact that three persons had lost their lives.
“Information so far suggests that they had bought premix fuel which was being stored in the house. They were pouring some of the fuel and nearby was a woman cooking. This triggered fire outbreak,” he stated.
He has thus advised the people in the area, who are predominantly engaged in fishing, against storing fuel in their houses, indicating it is not safe.
“Though it [premix fuel] is liquid, it vaporize and if not well handled, it could cause fire,” the fire officer stated.
By 3news.com|Ghana