Initial investigations conducted by the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) into the fire incident that claimed two lives in Fiapre, Sunyani West Municipality, suggest that it was triggered by a lit cigarette. The victims, 35-year-old Alex Antwi and his 17-year-old daughter, Sharifa Adiza, suffered fatal burns when a four-bedroom house in Fiapre, near Sunyani, caught fire during the early hours of Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Also Read: IMF approves second $600m for immediate disbursement to Ghana
While eight other occupants, including five children, managed to escape the blaze unharmed, Antwi and Adiza were burnt beyond recognition. The Divisional Officer Grade III (DO III), Reverend Thomas Kofi Dzah, who oversees Fire at the Bono Regional Command of the GNFS, disclosed in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that the initial investigation pointed to a lit cigarette butt as the likely cause of the fire.
Also Read: Cheddar reacts to tax evasion claims [Watch]
The police have retrieved and placed the charred bodies of the deceased at the Sunyani Teaching Hospital mortuary for preservation. Regional Minister Justina Owusu-Banahene and Sunyani West Municipal Chief Executive Evans Kusi Buadum have visited the bereaved families to express their condolences. The Regional Minister, acknowledging the unfortunate nature of the incident, urged the bereaved families to find solace in God and assured them of her commitment to supporting them in the burial and funeral rites of the deceased.
