Minister in charge of the Catholic Church at Drobonso in the Ashanti Region narrowly escaped death when fire gutted the mission house where he resides.

Reverend Father Emmanuel Subaar sustained bodily burns in his attempt to salvage personal belongings from being destroyed in the blaze.

He tells Nhyira News he fell unconscious and had to be rushed to a nearby clinic in what he describes as divine intervention.

Though the cause of the fire remains unknown, it is suspected to have started by a gallon full of petrol placed near a power generator in the garage.

Luck however eluded him when he was trapped inside one of the rooms as he tried to take computers and other office equipment as well as documents out.

Traumatized Father Subaar tells Nhyira News he was motivated to force his way out by shouts and cry of residents who thought he had been burnt to death.

“I was trying to save certain belongings from the house but I couldn’t. The more I tried to do it, the more the fire was spreading. In fact fire was burning my hand; was burning my body but I realized that my life is more important than all these belongings,” Father Subaar explained.

Reverend Father Subaar who sustained burns over the arm, shoulder and other parts of his body lost everything to the fire, except a pair of shorts and T-shirt. He could not even pick some important documents which includes certificates.

“Anything that I took I have to leave them and then tried to find my way out. The way the fire was burning my hand and my body, I can’t imagine how I escaped,” Father Subaar revealed.

The Sekyere Afram Plains area is noted for its perennial bush fire.

Last year, several communities including Issa Akuraa, Fumsua, Dawiah, Mossi Panin and Patandwo among others had thatched houses burnt down.

Meanwhile, District Chief Executive for the area, Donkor Fuseini, describes last Saturday’s incident as unfortunate.

He announced an interim relief package of four packets of roofing sheets and twenty bags of cement to help re-build the mission house.

Mr. Fuseini says it is a wake-up call to communities in the area to take precautions.

According to him, the district will soon start fire education programs in the fire-prone area as it makes efforts to provide fire extinguishers at the assembly’s offices.