A family of four, including a newborn baby, has been burnt to death in a house fire at Apemanim No. 2 in the Ahanta West Municipality of the Western Region.
The victims are said to be a man, his wife and their two children.
According to a female eyewitness, the incident occurred around 2 a.m. when she noticed smoke coming from the house after hearing dogs barking unusually.
She said she initially accompanied her husband outside around 11 p.m. when he was leaving for work before returning to their room.
The eyewitness said she later stepped out around 1 a.m. to use the washroom but did not notice anything unusual.
It was about an hour later that she began smelling smoke.
She told Empire News that she looked through her window and saw smoke billowing from the house, prompting her to fetch water and join other residents in an attempt to put out the fire.
A man who joined the rescue effort reportedly used a stick to disconnect the electricity wire, while another man used a stick to hit the burning structure in an attempt to gain access.
The eyewitness said the house eventually split open, revealing the victims trapped inside.
She said the victims included a newborn baby, while the other child was also very young.
According to her, the deceased man regularly left home early in the morning for work, although she could not immediately establish his exact occupation. His wife, she said, was unemployed.
The eyewitness added that she had only lived in the community for a short period.
The cause of the fire is yet to be established, while authorities are expected to conduct further investigations into the incident.
