Edward Aryee, the nine-month-old baby who sustained severe burns from a fire outbreak at his Osu Kuku Hill residence last Friday has died, the Osu Police have confirmed.
He died a day after the death of his elder sister, six-year-old Nancy Aryee, last Friday.
Parents of the two children, Mr Emmanuel Aryee, 46, and Mrs Akrong Aryee, 42, had hoped that their nine-month-old baby who was rushed to the hospital after the tragedy would survive, in spite of the severe burns he sustained.
He, however, succumbed to the burns on Saturday, leaving his parents totally devastated.
The body of Nancy Aryee was deposited at the Police Hospital morgue in Accra while Edward Aryee was receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Trauma and Burns Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) before his death.
Fire gutted the Aryee residence around 7 a.m. last Friday, deeply traumatising the parents who were also taken to the Ridge Hospital after the incident but were discharged later in the day.
Cause of fire
According to the Commander of the Osu Police Station, Superintendent Joseph Owusu-Bempah, the Fire Service, which arrived at the scene at 8 a.m., was still investigating the cause of the fire.
A spokesman for the family, Mr Richard Robinson Aryee, told the Daily Graphic that the fire spread quickly when it started, making it impossible to save Little Nancy who was trapped inside.
He said although the fire engine from the Fire Service arrived early and the personnel were assisted by members of the household to put out the fire, the combustible nature of materials in the building made the fire so intense that the children were not spared.
�The fire started from the entrance of the hall and spread to the bedroom, but because the door to the bedroom was locked, there was no way we could get inside,� he said.
A family member said a family get-together had been held for the extended family on January 1, at which Nancy and his brother were present.
Eyewitnesses who spoke with the Daily Graphic said they suspected that the fire was caused by a printer that was in the room or a match that was lit by one of the children.
Reports say the oldest child of the bereaved couple, a seven-year-old girl, managed to snatch the third born away to safety.
However, Superintendent Owusu-Bempah told the Daily Graphic on Sunday that he was unable to confirm the existence of the two other children �because it is not a subject of investigation�.
According to family spokesman, Mr Aryee, the two remaining children were doing well and consoling themselves with the knowledge that they were safe and sound.
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