Shouts for help! Screams of human beings oozed out from the raging inferno. They struggled to run out, no way. They jumped to free themselves from the ferocious fire, no assistance. And after few minutes, the shouts and screams died down. Five living, healthy persons have been burnt beyond recognition. And their charred bodies were later recovered from the rubble. What a gory sight as the victims were pulled out while the smoke was simmering.
This was the fate that befell Ebenezer Ato Kessie, a pastor with Seventh-Day Adventist Church. He lost his wife, three children and mother-in-law in a fire outbreak at Dansoman, a suburb of Accra, Ghana. The sad incident reportedly occurred on Sunday night, August 19, 2018, in their home.
In all, five people died: the 31-year-old wife, Linda; her 65-year-old mother, Grace Ampah, a three-week-old baby, Jason, five-year-old Jaiden and nine-year-old Precious. According to a news report monitored by YEN.com.gh on GHONE, the pastor was away as at the time of the incident.
Eyewitness narrated that, in that night, shouts and screams were heard coming from the pastor’s room. According to the eyewitness, some young men of the area rushed to the scene and tried to force their way in but they were not successful. This was because there were burglary proofs all over so they found it hard to get into the building.
Consequently, the shouts died down indicating that the occupants had been burnt to ashes even before the fire service appeared on the scene. What a painful death!
Posters pasted for the ceremony broke the hearts of many. The funeral service was held on Sunday, August 26, 2018.The solemn service was more pathetic as the five coffins were laid side by side. Pastor’s wife was seen in her wedding gown and her children in their Sunday best. Congregants and sympathiserss could not control their tears at the sight of the coffins.
The climax came as they were lowered into graves at the Gbawe cemetry. Like a bad dream, the bereaved pastor watched helplessly as his wife and three children were covered with sand. It looked inexplainable as the man walked home alone escorted by friends, members and members of the extended family. As he reached home, he could not believe the make-believe scene. And the curtain was drawn and reality dawned on him that his beloved ones had flown to land of death never to return to this earthly abode.
