A fire outbreak involving a Scania trailer at Amanase on the Accra-Kumasi Highway was caused by engine overheating, preliminary investigations have revealed.
Firefighters from the Suhum Municipal Fire Station arrived at the scene within five minutes of receiving the distress call and found the front section of the trailer engulfed in flames. Their swift intervention brought the fire under control and prevented further destruction.
According to the driver, the incident began when he noticed smoke appearing on the dashboard before flames erupted from the engine compartment.
Although the fire damaged the trailer’s head and tyres, no casualties were recorded. Authorities are advising drivers to conduct regular engine checks to prevent similar occurrences.
A man has raised £20,000 to buy a fire engine for a town in Ukraine after vehicles there were diverted for the war effort.
Bob Frendt from Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, delivered medical aid to the town of Volodymyr.
But after learning that people did not have fire trucks because of the war, the 73-year-old man came up with the idea of raising money to buy a new device.
When he bought the fire truck, a company in East Yorkshire donated a second vehicle to send to Ukraine.
Mr. Frendt, a former truck driver, has previously made shipments to the northwestern city, including a 40-ton medical aid trailer, a double-decker station wagon for sorting and Learning materials for a school. He said that during a recent visit, the mayor asked him if he “had a fire truck available.”
Mr Frendt told BBC Radio York: “The central government withdrew fire trucks from all these towns at the start of the war to protect Kiev and other major towns where all the heritage sites are located.”
“I asked what would happen if there was a fire and he said, ‘we just stand there and watch, because we can’t do anything else’.”
“Terrible” situation
He said he was “appalled” by the situation but doubted he could raise enough money to buy a fire truck.
Mr. Frendt said he was later introduced to the wife of the first Ukrainian killed when his tank exploded during the war.
“His widow is 32 years old, has two young children and they live on the sixth floor.
“I asked what would happen if there was a fire or missile attack [on the building]? She replied ‘we will die because we cannot get out’. So that motivated me. It’s terrible. »
He raised enough money to buy a fire truck, with the support of manufacturer Angloco Limited, who he said gave him a “huge discount” on the purchase of the equipment.
A donation of £10,000 was also made by a man who wanted to contribute to the appeal in memory of his mother.
The fire truck was named Joyce in his honor.
Mr Frendt said chemical company Croda, based in East Yorkshire, donated a second fire truck when it placed an order with a company that manufactures the vehicle. It would take him four days to drive the emergency response vehicle to Volodymyr.
He said these were “specialized” fire engines and the new vehicle would be equipped with a 32 meter high ladder – something he knew would reach the family on the sixth floor of a building.
