Blackout Causing Havoc

The use of candle during blackouts occasioned by the current load shedding exercise by the Electricity Company of Ghana has caused fire outbreaks in five suburbs of Nkawkaw West district of the Eastern Region, and another one at Breku in the Asante akyem South district of the Ashanti region.

Six buildings, including one storey has been completely burnt, claiming three lives with properties running into several millions of cedis lost to the fire.

The incidents happened between November last year and this month, with the latest at Breku, happening last Thursday.

Another building was also burnt at Nkawkaw Asuogya; this time, through explosion of a gas cylinder, claiming the life of a 26 year old woman. The first incident occurred somewhere last November when a one-story building at Nkawkaw’s Ata Ne Ata suburb got burnt completely.

Ironically, the owner of the building had died and was about to be laid in state the following day in the house when it got burnt.

A few days after, another house at Nkawkaw Nsuta belonging to a retired educationist also got completely burnt. The Nsuta incident was followed by the gas cylinder explosion at Asuogya, a few days after the young lady’s incident. Then followed another disaster at a house at Nkawkaw brotherhood area.The Oframase chief’s palace, near Nkawkaw, followed suit with fire engulfing the entire building.

Just about two weeks ago, a self-contained house belonging to a teacher by name Samuel Kwasi Tenkorang at Nkawkaw Ata Ne Ata, was completely burnt down together with all properties belonging to the occupants in the house. A two-year old grandson of Tenkorang, Isaac Aninakwa, who was asleep in one of the room, got burnt to ashes.

This was followed by another fire disaster last Thursday at Breku in Asante Akyem South whereby a 33-year-old woman, Ashetu Meemuna, and her one-and-a-half-year old son got burnt to death when their house was engulfed in fire.The Ghana National Fire Service personnel, who were called upon to assist in putting out the fire in all instances, could not do much. The reason was that their vehicle was either out of order or could not get enough water to fight the blazing fires.

Mr. Addae Baffour of Nkawkaw fire station told the Heritage newspaper that there was not a single fire hydrant in the whole Nkawkaw Township, which makes it difficult to get water to fight fire when there is an outbreak. He therefore appealed to the district assemblies in the area to assist the GWCL to provide fire hydrants at vantage points at Nkawkaw and other surrounding towns as soon as possible to enable GFS play its role meaningfully during fire outbreaks. Meanwhile, GNFS and police investigations have revealed that most of the outbreaks were due to candles which were lighted by the victims.

The GNFS has therefore advised the public to be very careful when using candles.