Fire claims boy's life at Nkawkaw

Nkawkaw (E/R), March 27, GNA - A two-and-half year old boy was burnt to death in a fire outbreak at Atta Ne Atta, a suburb of Nkawkaw at the weekend.

The fire also raised to the ground an eight bedroom house. Though the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) at Nkawkaw was informed in time they could not douse out the fire because it ran out of water.

The driver of the fire tender rushed to the Nkawkaw Ghana Water Company Limited (GECL) pumping station because there was no water hydrant in the Nkawkaw Township, but could not be supplied with water because of the power outage.

The fire tender therefore had to travel six kilometres to Mpraeso to refill and by the time it returned, the eight bedroom building had been raised to the ground by the fire.

According to Mr Samuel Kwasi Tenkorang, the Grandfather of the deceased, at 8.45 p.m. last Saturday, the area did not have electricity due to the load shedding exercise.

He said the boy's mother who had then gone out returned after little while only to see her room in flames and shouted for assistance. Mr Tenkorang said all efforts to enter the room to save the life of the boy failed as the fire intensified and extended to the main hall of the bedroom where the boy was sleeping and then to the other seven rooms ..

When the Deputy Fire Officer, Mr Addae Barffour was contacted, he complained about the lack of water hydrants at Nkawkaw and the other communities on the Kwahu Ridge, Which was affecting their operations in the Kwahu West and South Districts.

He therefore appealed to the two District Assemblies and the GWCL to construct water hydrant in the communities to provide adequate water for their operations. Since November last year, five houses including a Chief's Palace and a story building have been burnt down at Nkawkaw and Oframase also near Nkawkaw.