Mason, 42, perishes in fire at Suntreso

A 42-year-old mason, known only as Nanabanyin, was on Wednesday night burnt beyond recognition at his home at North Suntreso in Kumasi.

The fire, which started around 10:40 p.m., is suspected to have been caused by a lit candle, as the area had no power that night.

The victim got trapped in the fire which engulfed his single wooden room.

Eyewitnesses

According to eyewitnesses, the deceased appeared drunk when he went to bed that night, for which reason he was unable to come out when the fire erupted. 

The fire spread to a nearby hairdressing salon and a drinking bar where, according to eyewitnesses, combustible materials, including a gas cylinder, a refrigerator and a generator, were kept.

Yaw Adjei, a relative of the deceased, said he was in his room when he heard screams from the Nanabanyin’s abode. 

He said when he came out, he saw that Nanabanyin’s room was engulfed in flames.

He said although the people around tried to bring the fire under control and even managed to break down the door,  Nanabanyin was unable to come out and there was very little they could do because of the intensity of the flames.

Second incident

This is the second fire incident in a spate of one week in which people have lost their lives. 

In the first incident, Akosua Adubea, 49, a roadside food seller; Akua Lydia, 17, a final-year pupil of the Fankyenebra M/A Junior High and Primary School, and Abena Lydia, a 21-year-old maidservant, perished when fire engulfed their room at Santasi.