Chief Fire Officer (CFOII), Mr James Akowuah, Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipal Fire Officer, has urged Ghanaians to protect their homes and properties by instituting stringent safety measures in their homes, offices, and workplaces.
They should strive to install fire safety tools such as extinguishers and others to help protect life and properties.
Mr Akowuah, made the call when he visited the surviving victims of the devastating fire outbreak that engulfed a house at Atwima Manhyia in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality, on the night of Monday, December 22, 2025.
Six family members, including a three months-old baby, perished in the disaster, which was said to have started at midnight on that fateful day.
Other victims, whose names have not yet been given, included a seven-year-old girl, two senior high school graduates aged 19 each, and two adults aged 25 and 35 years.
Eleven other tenants in the house sustained varied degrees of injuries after escaping from the fire.
Mr Akowuah advised Ghanaians to exercise extreme caution during the yuletide to prevent fire outbreaks.
They should strive to unplug electrical appliances during power outages and be vigilant in the use of gas and other fires in their homes.
He pledged an expeditious investigation into the cause of the fire outbreak to ascertain the cause of it and prevent future occurrences.
The cause of the outbreak is currently unknown and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in conjunction with the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) have initiated investigations into the disaster.
A delegation from the Municipal Assembly, led by Mr. Ayamba Osman Moro visited the victims and presented five bags of rice and maize, five bottles of cooking oil, five mosquito nets and undisclosed amounts of money to them.
Mr. Akwasi Abayie the landlord, who received the items, thanked the Assembly and appealed for other items such as clothes for the victims.
He explained that about 24:30 hours on Monday, her wife, Maame Akua Poku woke up and saw room four of the apartment on fire, raised the alarm which alerted the tenants to escape but the deceased were trapped and burnt beyond recognition.
He said their charred bodies were discovered after the GNFS personnel from Nkawie and Twedie had managed to put out the fire.
