A fierce blaze has completely destroyed a five-bedroom apartment belonging to a Customs officer at New Winneba in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region.
The fire reportedly began in one of the rooms before spreading rapidly through the rest of the building, consuming property valued at several million cedis.
An elderly woman who was inside the house when the fire started was rescued by nearby residents and rushed to the Winneba Trauma Hospital for treatment.
Residents say they alerted the Winneba Fire Service as soon as the fire broke out. However, officers allegedly arrived at the scene in a private car and on a motorcycle instead of a fire tender, leaving the crowd frustrated and helpless as the flames spread.
Tensions reportedly escalated between residents and the responding officers over what witnesses described as a slow and ill-equipped response. It took several hours before a team from Buduburam arrived with a functioning fire engine to help douse the flames, by which time the entire structure had already been reduced to ashes.
The Effutu Municipal Fire Commander, DOII Frederick Adu-Poku, confirmed the incident and explained that the local fire tender had broken down at the time of the call. He added that assistance had to be requested from Buduburam, since the Swedru and Apam fire stations were also dealing with faulty vehicles.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire.
