A six-year-old boy has died in a fire that swept through a room he was sleeping in at Baneikrom in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region.
The boy, who was identified as Kwadwo Michael, was said to be sleeping in the room when the fire started at about 11:00 pm on Monday.
A distress call was placed at the Bibiani fire station but fire officers were unable to respond as the fire tender at the station was not functioning.
Fire tenders from Kumasi were later dispatched to the scene.
The Ashanti Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service, Semekor Fiadzo, who confirmed the incident to Citi News, said residents in the area had doused the fire before the personnel arrived at the scene.
According to him, residents in the area attacked the fire officers for their inability to respond swiftly to the distress call while blaming the officers for the death of the boy.
The Fire Commander said the fire was caused by a candle which had been left unattended to.
He called on the general public to take fire safety precautions seriously, especially during the harmattan season.
Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited at the Nyinahin Government hospital morgue awaiting an autopsy.
–
By: Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana