Boakunu (B/A),April 1,GNA - Fourteen people were rendered homeless when fire swept through Boakunu, a farming community, near Aworowa in the Techiman Municipality, destroying three houses. The fire broke out at a time when most of the people were away on their farms. There was no casualty. A 62-year-old visually impaired man, Opanin Isaac Tozumah, who was home alone, raised the alarm for help but people in the nearby villages who responded to the distress call had a tough time extinguishing the fire.

Mr. Jibreal Kesse Labib, Techiman Municipal Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), who visited the scene, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the extent of damage was estimated at more than GHC5, 000. He said farmers in the three households lost 10 bags of maize, cooking utensils, relevant documents, 10 live sheep and other personal belongings.

Addressing the displaced, who are staying with relatives and friends, Mr. Labib advised the local people to plant trees and to make fire belts around their houses to forestall the such recurrences. He observed that the lack of fire belts in most communities in the Municipality could inhibit the fight against fire and advised farming communities to undertake such simple but important protective measures.