Thieves loot burning house as they pretended to be Good Samaritans

Kenyasi No.2 (B/A), Feb. 17, GNA - Some 'Good Samaritans' who volunteered to assist in retrieving personal items from a burning house at Jericho in Kenyasi Number Two in the Asutifi District of Brong Ahafo at the weekend allegedly turned out to be thieves.

They took advantage of the scramble and looted some of the items as well as huge sums of money, Mr Kwasi Poku, farmer and owner of the house told Ghana News Agency.

The cost of personal belongings lost to the fire, including fridges, clothing and other personal effects run into millions of cedis. The incident brought to four the number of houses destroyed by fire in the neighbouring districts of Asutifi and Asunafo within the last two months.

Mr Poku said none of the looters could however be apprehended. He told GNA he was at a family funeral gathering when he saw a thick column of smoke emitting through the windows of his house and he so raised the alarm.

Efforts by some people to put off the fire proved futile since it was so intense and the Fire Service personnel in the area could also not help as the only fire tender serving both districts had broken down. Mr. Poku said a fire tender from Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District of the Ashanti Region also arrived late when the entire house had been razed down.

Meanwhile, the Asutifi District Chief Executive, Mr. Michael Nsiah Agyapong and NADMO officials have gone to console the victims and pledged support for their rehabilitation.

The NADMO District Coordinator, Nana Kofi Karikari, advised the people to use electricity with caution.