Two children have been rescued after a fire broke out at the family house of the late former Tamale Central MP, Murtala Ibrahim, at Dohinaa Yili, a suburb of Tamale, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) said the blaze started at about 3:29 p.m. and spread through the compound house.

Firefighters said they were able to rescue the two children who were trapped inside and prevented the flames from engulfing the entire building.

Nine of the 17 rooms in the house were affected by the fire. The Service said crews managed to stop the fire from spreading to the remaining eight rooms.

Several occupants have been displaced and are counting their losses, according to residents who spoke to JoyNews at the scene.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. The Ghana National Fire Service said investigations are underway.

The Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, ADO1 Baba Hudu, said it took significant effort to rescue the two children due to the intensity of the blaze.

Describing the operation as “a big success”, he said firefighters managed to bring the children out safely despite the challenging conditions.

Mr Hudu, however, expressed concerns about the state of the Service’s equipment.

He said the use of ageing fire tenders, coupled with inadequate water supply, affected their operations during the rescue exercise.

Mr Ibrahim served as the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central until his death.