The Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces says it has commenced investigations into the torching of houses at Ntobroso in the Atwima Mponua district of the Ashanti region.

The military taskforce allegedly set ablaze a number of excavators during an exercise to clamp down on illegal mining activities.

However, some residents have alleged that the soldiers burnt houses near the site.

According to General Command Officer of the Central Command, Brigadier General Joseph Aphour, two of the four excavators set ablaze by the taskforce accidentally set a nearby house on fire.

“One of our teams deployed at Ntobroso at the Atwima Mponua district sighted four excavators which have been used for massive destruction on the River Offin. These excavators were moved and parked close by the river, which is also close to the settlement,” he explained.

“Two of the excavators were set ablaze, but tragically a close-by house which was being used by the illegal miners as fuel storage to supply fuel for the excavators caught fire.

Though the house was quite far from the burning excavators, fuel spillage from the house to the excavators also caught fire, causing the fire to travel to the house,” he explained.

According to the Commanding Officer, efforts by the military to douse the fire failed as residents attacked them with stones and other offensive weapons.

“The personnel called in the fire service and on their arrival, they were equally assaulted and their fire tender destroyed,” he added.

Brigadier General Joseph Aduko Aphour, however, said investigations are ongoing into the incident.

“I would like to assure you that investigations would be conducted to ascertain the circumstances that led to this unfortunate accident,” he stressed.

The Operation Halt II by the military is to save water bodies and forest covers from massive destruction perpetrated by illegal miners.

The taskforce was deployed to the Atwima Mponua, Amansie West, and Bosome Freho districts.