The Ghana National Fire Service has clarified the circumstances leading to the horrific fire incident that involved a petrol tanker carrying 54,000 litres of fuel at Okanta on the Accra-Nsawam Highway on Saturday, February, 14.
A public statement signed and released by the GNFS on Monday Febraury 16 said that the Service received the distress call at 0445 hours and deployed firefighters from the Suhum Fire Station. The crew arrived to find a fully developed vehicular fire involving a petrol tanker carrying about 54,000 litres of fuel, a VIP bus, three saloon cars, and four motorcycles, all engulfed in flames and extensively damaged.
Due to the intensity and rapid spread of the fire, reinforcement was requested, and firefighters from the Bunso Fire Station were deployed to augment operations.
Through coordinated and tactical firefighting efforts, including the application of foam compound, the fire was brought under control at 0824 hours and completely extinguished at 1108 hours.
A total of 15 casualties were recorded (11 males and 4 females). Three victims (two males, one female) tragically died at the scene, and their badly charred bodies were handed over to the Police for preservation and further investigation. Twelve injured were taken to Nsawam Hospital, where two were discharged, including one against medical advice. Ten critical patients (8 males, 2 females) were referred to Koforidua Regional Hospital.
Three of these patients (2 males, 1 female) later died. The remaining seven, comprising 2 male children, 4 male adults, and 1 female, are still receiving treatment at the Koforidua Regional Hospital.
The service said that investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire but its preliminary assessments suggest that sparks generated during attempts by some individuals to illegally breach the petrol tanker using cutting tools may have ignited petrol vapours, leading to the intense fire that engulfed vehicles traveling along that road at the time of the incident.
The swift intervention of firefighters prevented a potential explosion. The fatalities were reportedly trapped by the sudden fire following ignition of the petrol vapour cloud.
The Ghana National Fire Service strongly cautions the public against fuel siphoning, which is illegal and extremely dangerous, and urges the public to stay away from accident scenes involving flammable substances and to immediately alert emergency services.
“The Eastern Regional Command of the GNFS extends its heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this tragic incident, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured both those discharged and those still receiving treatment.
“The Eastern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service remains committed to protecting lives and property and appeals for public cooperation to enhance fire safety across the region,” the statement said.
