The Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces has begun investigations into circumstances that led to the fire at a house when some military officers burnt some excavators at Atwima Mponua in the Ashanti Region.
“Though the house was quite far from the burning excavators, the fuel spillage from the house to the excavators also caught fire, causing the fire to travel to the House,” the General Officer of the Central Command, Brigadier General, Joseph Aduko Aphour, said to Citi News.
“I would like to assure you that investigations will be conducted immediately to ascertain the circumstances that led to this unfortunate incident,” he added.
The officers as part of the Operation Halt Two exercise were deployed to communities in the Atwima Mponua, Bosome Freho, and Amansie West Districts where illegal mining activities are prevalent.
The officer’s burned excavators and other mining equipment, but a house used for fuel storage by some miners also caught fire.
The situation angered residents of Ntobroso who attacked the military officers, fire officers and later attacked some police officers and the DCE for the area.
The angry residents caused damage to a police vehicle in the process.
Some miners mounted roadblocks to deny military access to the mining sites.