A tragic fire outbreak has claimed the lives of a married couple at Kodjonya, a suburb of Odumase Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region, after an attempt to use petrol to eliminate bedbugs ended in disaster.
The Somanya office of the Ghana National Fire Service said it received a distress call in the early hours of Tuesday and quickly dispatched a fire tender to the scene. Firefighters battled to contain the blaze, but the couple could not be rescued.
Speaking in an interview, Somanya Municipal Fire Commander, DOII Abubakar Musah, said preliminary investigations indicate that the fire was likely triggered by the use of petrol.
“Initial findings suggest the man had gone out earlier to purchase petrol to deal with a bedbug infestation.
We suspect the fuel may have come into contact with an exposed electrical source, sparking the fire,” he explained.
He cautioned the public against using petrol or other highly flammable substances for pest control, emphasising that safer and more effective alternatives are readily available.
DOII Musah also revealed that the victims were trapped inside the room due to the building’s design, which made escape impossible.
“The room was heavily secured with burglar-proof bars. Both the front and rear windows were fixed in a way that left no emergency exit, effectively trapping them inside when the fire broke out,” he said.
The situation worsened when a gas cylinder in the room exploded under intense heat, causing the fire to spread rapidly. The victims were burnt beyond recognition.
The Fire Commander has since urged landlords, homeowners and developers to prioritise safety by incorporating accessible emergency exits in residential buildings to help prevent similar tragedies.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Atua Government Hospital morgue, while investigations into the incident continue.