Solomon Donkor (L), 49 and his17-year-old daughter Hannah (R) died in Thursday night's inferno
A survivor of the fire in Bronx, New York, on Thursday, December 28, 2017 that claimed 12 lives and had four others bargaining between survival and death, has recounted the sequence of timely events that spared his life.
The 37 year old resident, Mr. Owusu Ansah popularly known as Chief, who is a Ghanaian migrant, stated that he was off-duty that Thursday and had been home all day until between “5:30-6pm”, when he decided to get supper at a proximal Jamaican Restaurant, three blocks away from his residence.
His roommate, a pregnant lady called Adwoa Hilda, was still in the room when he left. 35 minutes later, as he waited for his turn at the restaurant, he saw convoy of buzzing fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles heading towards his residence. As he left the restaurant, after buying his food, he spotted their building ablaze, with firefighters battling the flames.
Chief said that his follow-up on his roommate proved successful when he paid a visit to the St. Barnabas hospital. A pregnant woman was among the casualties admitted there but he was unable to confirm her identity.
Reports from Ghanaian residents, who also survived the fire, prove that six Ghanaians lost their lives in the incident. Gabriel Yaw Sarkodie (48), Hanna Donkor (17), Solomon Donkor (49), Justice Opoku (54), and William Donkor were identified as the other Ghanaians who did not survive the incident.
Public Appeal
Chief’s room-mate Hilda is currently in coma at a nearby hospital and no close relative of hers has been established yet. She moved from Virginia to re-settle in Bronx but her previous location in Virginia and the duration of her resettlement in Bronx have been determined yet. Amansan Radio, operating in Bronx, is reaching out to people with knowledge of a pregnant lady called “Hilda Adwoa” who fits above description to contact them at amansanradiony@gmail.com or facebook: Ghanaforadio12.
