Fires destroys Queen mother's residence

Akim Swedru (E/R), July 22, GNA- Stool regalia and gold ornaments belonging to the Akim Bosome Traditional Council and personal belongings of the queen mother of the area, Nana Kwaatema Minkyim II, were destroyed when fire gutted her residence at Akim Swedru on Wednesday.

The fire would have engulfed other nearby houses, but for the timely intervention of the Akim Oda branch of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) with assistance from the management of Birim Wood Complex Limited, a timber firm at Akim Oda, which provided water to supplement that of the GNFS.

Miss Ernestina Pinkra, a niece of the queen mother who was in the house at the time of the incident, told the Ghana News Agency that at about 1700 hours on the day, she saw fire burning in one of the rooms, which quickly spread to the other rooms.

She said she raised an alarm, which attracted people to the scene and later called the Akim Oda Fire Station.

Mr Ishmael Mohammed, the Station Master of the GNFS who led the team to the scene, commended the management of the Birim Wood Complex for their assistance, which he noted, facilitated the efforts of his men. He said the cause of the fire outbreak and the cost of damage could not be immediately ascertained until investigations have been conducted.