Man Allegedly Burns 7 Family Members to Death in Dunkwa-Akyempim, Commits Suicide After
Tragedy strikes Akyempim as a man allegedly sets his family home ablaze, killing his wife and five children before taking his own life.
- Family of seven, including five children, perish in early-morning house fire
- Husband suspected of deliberately locking victims inside before setting fire
- Suspect later found dead in nearby bush in an apparent suicide
A heartbreaking tragedy has struck the community of Akyempim in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of Ghana’s Central Region, where seven members of a family — including five children — have been burnt to death in what authorities believe was a deliberate act of arson.
According to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the Dunkwa-On-Offin Fire Station received a distress call around 1:04 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2025, reporting a house fire in the area. Firefighters arrived at the scene by 1:20 a.m. to find one of the bedrooms in the four-bedroom residence engulfed in flames and locked from the outside.
The GNFS crew managed to contain the blaze within minutes, preventing it from spreading to other parts of the building. However, the seven occupants — a woman and her five children, along with another adult — were trapped inside and could not be rescued in time.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased woman’s husband was behind the horrific act. He is alleged to have locked the victims in the room, set it ablaze, and fled into a nearby bush. Police later discovered his lifeless body hanging from a tree, suggesting he took his own life after the crime.
The charred remains of the victims have been handed over to the Ghana Police Service at Atekyim for further investigation.
In a statement signed by DO II Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Central Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, the Service expressed deep condolences to the affected family and community.
“The Ghana National Fire Service remains steadfast in its mission to protect lives and property and will continue working with relevant agencies to ensure public safety,” the statement said.
