Orphanage Burnt Down

The razed down orphanage

FIRE HAS razed down the Save Our Lives Orphanage at Anwiankwanta in the Amansie District of the Ashanti Region, destroying properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

The source of the fire is unknown but an eyewitness and school authorities believe it was as a result of power fluctuation in the area, which destroyed one of their main electrical switches that supplied power to the orphanage's refrigerator, a couple of days before fire gutted the home.

Though there was no casualty from the disaster, proprietress of the home Paulina Opei said they lost almost everything, from food to documents, and would find it difficult to run the home smoothly unless the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) took steps to supply relief items and help rebuild the facility.

Narrating the incident, she said that the fire started around midnight on Wednesday, and that the authorities had to be swift in taking out all inmates who were sleeping at the time.

She said they were so lucky to have rescued all those who were inside the home, which has 150 inmates, explaining that immediately they completed the rescue mission, the fire became intense, hence their inability to go inside to take their documents.

Meanwhile, mining exploration giant Geodrill Ghana Ltd, which has been supporting the home, has donated GH¢2000 and connected the other hostels on their campus to the electricity grid at an amount of GH¢2,500.

Felix Owusu Twum, administrator of the company, said his outfit and the home were like partners, noting that he was very shocked to learn about the disaster.

He promised that the company would assist the home in rebuilding the razed down hostel.

From Frank Ossei Kwame