The densely populated community of Kokoteasua in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region was thrown into a state of shock after three women and a one-and-a-half-year-old baby boy from the same family were burnt to death in an early morning fire that gutted their house yesterday. The family head, Dickson Agyemang, who is believed to be in his late forties survived, but he sustained severe burns. He was admitted at the AngloGold Ashanti Hospital for treatment after neighbours rushed him there. A traumatized woman, Grace Essien, said to be the wife of the landlord and a resident in the compound house, was also taken to the hospital for burns and smoke inhalation. The dead are Alice Boatemaa Agyemang, 30, Alexander Nana Oheme Agyemang, one-and-a-half; Joyce and Comfort, both nieces of Mr. Agyemang who visited him and his wife the previous day after attending an Easter convention. Residents said they did not know the two young girls well, but suspected they had come for holidays from Kubase near New Edubiase in the region. Assemblyman Francis Obeng told DAILY GUIDE that firefighters were called to the house around 4:08am, adding that the smoke added to fog blanketed the community as a result of the fire and the early morning dew, led to widespread power outages. According to him, he found the home in flames upon coming out from his room, following screams of "fire ... fire" by close neighbours who detected smoke coming from the deceased's room. He said neighbours' efforts to rescue the victims, were thwarted as they were unable to open the burglar-proof front door. The assemblyman narrated that the fire spread and consumed the house when the cylinders containing Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the house exploded. A tenant in the house, Samuel Nduro, said occupants of a nearby room where the fire started were saved as the flames spread along the floor to the various rooms, disclosing that other residents had left the building before the firefighters arrived. The blaze has brought to light the poor accessibility of roads in various communities in Obuasi, which the Municipal Chief Executive, John Alexander Ackon, has pledged to deal with. According to him, the firefighters from AGA and the Ghana National Fire Service responded on time, but tried, unsuccessfully, to get access to the house to douse the fire. "It is a lesson to us and a call on the assembly for a high sense of responsibility to deal with illegalities: It was clear the firefighters could not access the building and this has given the assembly the leverage to demolish structures blocking routes and access roads," Mr. Ackon said. The cause of the fire which started in Mr. Agyemang's room at about 4:00am on Tuesday, while he was about to prepare for work, is not yet known, Municipal Police Commander, Mathew Asante said. He added that the police and fire service had launched a Joint investigation to unravel the cause in order to take measures to prevent future occurrence. "I never thought something like this could happen so close. It is quite scary, and believe me; some neighbours who tried to help are in shock. I've spoken to some, tried to comfort some who were trying to get involved. "People are really trying to come to terms with the fact that there wasn't anything they could do to help," John Quashigah, a resident told DAILY GUIDE. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana