By Nana Ama Gyapong
There have been instances where people got burnt in their homes when a fire broke out because of the burglar-proof windows, which made it very difficult for them to escape the fire.
This comes at the back of an incident that happened at Ohwim in the Ashanti region, Kumasi In the late hours of Monday evening, at around 11:30 p.m.
A pregnant mother and her two children died after the fire gutted their home. The family died when they got trapped in their rooms. According to her eldest daughter, who managed to escape the fire because she was in another room, she tried to save her mother and brothers, but the metallic door to their room was too hot to break in, leaving them to burn to ashes.
Burglary means gaining unauthorised access to a part of a building/dwelling or other premises, including by use of force, with the intent to steal goods. In recent times, people feel safer in burglar-proof buildings, but don’t consider the dangers of being trapped in their own homes.
We all know it is safer and more convenient to have a home well protected from burglars and armed robbers, but it is also important to create an emergency exit to cover up for such future occurrences. Landowners, building contractors, and the appropriate authorities should pass a law that ensures property owners have emergency doors to avoid such tragedies from occurring. The Ashanti Regional Fire Commander, ACFO Henry Giwah, also advised people to make alternative exit points in their homes so they can escape from fire incidents.