Trader and bar attendant escape death

Anaji (W/R) Jan. 21, GNA- Miss Agnes Quaicoo, a trader, her three children and George Eshun, a bar attendant were on Wednesday saved from being burnt to death when some neighbours at Anaji a suburb of Takoradi helped to quench a fire outbreak in the area.

Ms. Quaicoo and her children were fast asleep in a provision store, which also served as their living room while Eshun who was also asleep in an adjoining drinking bar that caught fire.

The screams of fire, fire, fire by the neighbours woke them up, and they managed to escape unhurt but lost personal effects, provisions, cash, cartons of assorted drinks all valued at over 20 million cedis. According to Maame Korkor, an eyewitness, she was also asleep in a nearby store but woke up around 0500 hours to find the provision store and drinking bar on fire and started shouting for help.

An intervention by personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) prevented the fire from spreading to nearby houses and the main transformer that serves the community.

Station Officer Joseph Kingsley Mbeah, who led the team of fire personnel told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that improper use of mosquito coils, candles and matches, have been identified as a major source of the fire outbreak.

He advised communities to avoid overloading their sockets and appealed to estate developers and landlords to employ qualified electricians to undertake electrical works on their projects to save them from any fire outbreak.

Mr. John S. Davies Assemblyman for the area said it was unfortunate that such an accident should happen adding that both victims are young entrepreneurs who should be encouraged to do business and appealed to the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and other philanthropists, to come to the aid of the victims.