Kodjonya (E/R), March 31, – A husband and wife have lost their lives in a fire outbreak at Kodjonya, a suburb of Odumase-Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality, after an attempt to treat bedbug infestation with petrol reportedly went wrong.
The Somanya Office of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said it received a distress call in the early hours of Tuesday and swiftly dispatched a fire tender to the scene to contain the blaze.
DOII Abubakar Musah, Somanya Municipal Fire Commander, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said firefighters managed to bring the fire under control, but the couple could not be rescued.
He said preliminary investigations indicated that the fire might have started when petrol brought into the room to treat bedbugs came into contact with a naked electrical source.
“Our preliminary investigations revealed that the man had stepped out in the morning to get petrol to treat bedbugs, and we suspect that in the process, it came into contact with a naked electrical source, which triggered the fire outbreak,” he said.
DOII Musah cautioned the public against the use of petrol and other hydrocarbon fuels to deal with bedbug infestations, stressing that there were safer and more effective pest control methods.
He explained that the victims were trapped in the room because the building was fitted with burglar-proof bars that prevented escape during the emergency.
“What caused the entrapment was that the room was barricaded with burglar-proof bars, making it virtually impossible for them to escape. Both the front and back windows were secured in such a way that in case of emergency, there was no way out,” he said.
He added that a gas cylinder in the room exploded due to the intensity of the fire, worsening the situation and burning the victims beyond recognition.
DOII Musah appealed to landlords and homeowners to ensure that buildings had alternative escape routes to prevent such incidents.
The bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Atua Government Hospital morgue for preservation and further investigations.
GHBUSS
31 March 2026
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