Tragedy at Apromase: Policeman, wife, baby burnt to death

A Police­man with the Police Intelligent Department of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, his wife and a three-month-old baby boy, have been burnt to death in a fire that gutted their apartment at Apromase.

They have been identified as Sergeant Owusu Baafi, 35, who was initially attached to the Buf­falo Unit, his wife, Yaa Achiaa, a nurse, 32, and their baby.

The incident took place at Apromase, in the Ejisu- Munic­ipality of the Ashanti Region in the dawn of Monday.

It was quite a scene as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akufo Dampare, could not hold his tears when he arrived at the scene.

He has called for clinical psychologists to attend to the other police personnel as they were yet to come to terms with the tragedy.

The IGP said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Vice President, Dr Ma­hamadu Bawumia, had declared their support for the Ghana Police Service “in this difficult time”.

The IGP indicated there would be a joint investigation between the police and Ghana National Fire (GNFS) to find out what exactly happened, to be able to learn the relevant lessons from the tragedy.

Dr Dampare mentioned that all the police personnel residing in the block would be evacauted to a descent place nearby.

Part of the three-storey building with five apartments each, has been rented by the police for accommodation for its personnel.

By the time personnel of the GNFS arrived at the scene, Sgt Baafi, his wife and son had been burnt to death.

According to Ashanti Re­gional Fire Commander, Henry Giwa, the cause of the fire was yet to be known.

Some neighbours claimed the fire started from the hall of the apartment, but it was not known what really triggered it.

According to the neighbours they heard some unusual shout from Sgt Baafi for help, but ef­forts to break the ‘China Door’ to the apartment proved futile.

The bodies of Sgt Baafi, wife and son have been deposited at the morgue.

The incident took place barely two days after three car­pentry shops and a pepper mill were razed down, following a fire outbreak that took place at Sofoline late Friday.

The incident, which took place at about 8:00p.m, also saw three rooms burnt partially. But for the timely intervention of fire personnel, many adjoin­ing houses could have been affected.

That took place a day af­ter similar raging fire swept through a compound house at Fante New Town on Thursday evening, destroying property running in thousands of Ghana Cedis. Nine of the 12 rooms were completely destroyed, displacing about 20 tenants.

Personnel of the GNFS had a hectic time containing the fire and about five fire tenders were deployed to the scene as resi­dents assisted the firefighters to contain the fire.

The cause of the fire was not yet known and no one sus­tained an injury in the incident.

FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE, KUMASI

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