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A massive fire has destroyed at least 11 rooms in a two storey building at Asafo YF in Kumasi, killing a 56-year-old man, firefighters and witnesses said.
The blaze broke out at about 1:00 am on Thursday and quickly spread through the top floor of the building, reducing valuables to ashes.
Firefighters said they recovered the body of Kwadwo Fordjour, 56, from the debris after at least three fire machines were put into service to bring the blaze under control.
Affected tenants
About 25 tenants who managed to flee for safety also had their valuables destroyed.
One of them, 60-year-old Comfort Gyimah said: “I thought robbers had attacked the house. So as I tried to check out I saw a huge blaze spreading from the deceased’s room and so I had to flee for safety. Most of my belongings have been destroyed.
Another said: “We had to drive to the KMA Fire Service to alert them because they were not reachable… Now all my belongings have been destroyed”.
What caused the fire?
While the police at Asokwa have launched an investigation into the fire, firefighters said the incident was self-inflicted.
“Our preliminary investigations points to the fact that the fire started from the bedroom of the deceased. He was fast asleep [when the fire broke out] and had already been bathed by the smoke and therefore was weak and could not rescue himself”, DO III Desmond Ackah, a spokesperson for the Fire Service in Ashanti Region, told dailymailgh.com at the scene.
“What actually led to the fire was unattended electrical water heater which was left on and in the process over heated and ignited the combustibles nearby. The fire caught up with other combustibles, ran through the ceiling and affected the adjoining rooms due to lack of gables”.
The charred body of the deceased has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for preservation.
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