If anyone ever told Superintendent Francis D.K Deku, a senior prison officer at the Navrongo central prison that he would suffer fire outbreaks many times in his life, he would have probably laughed it off as one funny joke.
Though fire outbreaks are very common accidents in homes and even markets in Ghanaian communities, largely due to negligence, faulty electrical components and other natural occurrences, Superintendent Deku would have never thought he will be at the receiving end of unmerciful fire attacks many times as if he had offended it.
When Deku stepped out on the fateful morning of February 1, 2022, to his duty post at the central prison, he knew very well that he was going to return home, to his bungalow, in the Navrongo township waiting for him in all its beauty as it always did.
The senior prison officer did not have even the slightest hint he would receive an unwanted visitor he has had twice in his home, again – a visitor he would never welcome.
In fact, it never crossed his mind it could be the last time he would sleep and wake in the house which provided him accommodation for a very long time.
But that all changed around 10:30 Tuesday morning [February 1, 2022] when Deku received a distress call from his next-door neighbour. The call was to inform Deku that a fire had broken out in the house, consumed his kitchen and was eating into Deku’s apartment with indescribable speed.
Superintendent Deku, who had arrived earlier at his office that morning to perform his duties, was broken by the sad news. This was a man who had suffered heartbreaks from two previous fire incidents. He could barely hold himself together for a while without tears pouring out below his eyelids.
Recounting his ordeal to GhanaWeb’s Senyalah Castro in an interview, Deku said he braced himself after the call and rushed to the office of the Navrongo fire department to inform them of the inferno. He said while there, he was told a tender had already been dispatched to his bungalow.
Deku recounted that the fire department did their best but all his belongings were gone before the fire was doused. He said those who alerted the fire service did so very late.
He enumerated his electronics, clothing, utensils, furniture and stationery which he lost in the fire.
“I came to work in the morning and as usual I was going about my duties when I had a call from my next-door neighbour that my house was on fire. So, from here (Prison command) I just ran to the fire service and was informed a tender had been dispatched to the place.
"When I reached there, I realized the information came too late. The fire had entered my apartment from my neighbour’s and burnt almost everything in my rooms.”
Deku recount his ordeal with fires
The third fire incident resurrected deep reflections as Deku searched his mind to find why he has had to suffer many fire outbreaks – outbreaks he has suffered not once, twice but a third time. Fires that have caused him so much losses.
In all of the reflections, what Deku found interesting and very difficult to understand was how in all of these incidents he suffered, it never was any fault of his. They mostly spread to him.
He recounted that the first fire incident he experienced was on August 8, 2013, when he was newly posted to the Navrongo prison. In that incident, Deku said everything he owned was razed to ashes. He said the fire similarly spread from somewhere into his then apartment.
The fires were not done with him. On the evening of March 16, 2018, six years after the first fire outbreak, Deku suffered another fire attack. This time, the fire which had spread from a neighbour had been brought under control before it could cause damage to Deku’s apartment. The impact was minimal as he lost only a television set, an iron and a TV decoder.
The Tuesday, February 1, 2022, fire incident is the third he and his family has been hit with.
Deku says he remains grateful to God for his life and that of his family despite his huge losses. He is hopeful God will give him greater things he gave to Job in the Bible.
"In all of the fire outbreaks, I give everything to God. God knows best. What he has done to Job, I hope he will do the same thing to me. Once life is not lost and I am still alive, God is in control.” Superintendent Deku told Upper East correspondent Senyalah Castro.
Superintendent Francis D.K Deku has been the victim of three different fire incidents