THE FIRE AND FLOOD DISASTER; HOW I SURVIVED

As I sat in the “troski” wondering what to do next, the rain kept on pouring down showing no signs it were going to stop. I started thinking of friends/relations who lived nearby that I could go for a temporal shelter return home when the situation improve. My first thought was my sister who lived in Nungua. Apart from the fact that her place was far, the main Teshie road I heard was flooded and very dangerous to use. My thoughts then drifted to Alajo where my parents lived but then again the road leading there was also flooded. The situation was getting hopeless for me now. I remembered I had a friend who lived in Asylum down but I had lost his number and couldn’t find it on my phone. I decided the best option was to wait. About 50 meters away from the troski was the Goil fuel station and I saw people huddled together in the shelters around the structure obviously stranded by the rain. The water was about waist-deep now as I saw people trying to cross it to look for a place to hang around and possibly continue their journeys when the rain subsides; which at that moment showed no signs of.

Apart from the flood, there was no sign of any looming danger/catastrophe. Then it started happening, I heard people talking about the fuel that was leaking from the fuel station and moments later I could even smell it. My instincts told me to move away from the place so I decided to move out and cross to the Vienna city side of the road. After a few steps in the water, I heard the screams and scrambling of the people. I turned around and just a few meters away was the fire sweeping across the water surface heading for the source of the leakage. Without thinking, I dived underneath the water as I felt the fire blazing on top of me. It was too little too late for anyone to react to the looming danger that was about to take place; I heard a loud explosion as the whole place sparked into a large mass of fire; with thick smoke engulfing the whole place. I was still submerged in the water as the screaming and the wailings of the people intensified; obviously from the pain, agony and torture they were going through as they were being burnt alive. It was like a mini hell with virtually no help anywhere for anyone.

I was now struggling for breath and for relief from the intense heat the fire was producing. I couldn’t take it anymore as I needed air to survive. In my pain and anguish, I took my head above the water in a bit to take in some air and I regretted my action immediately; the fire gripped my face and my upper body and I could feel my skin peeling off from my body. This forced me to push myself back into the water. My eyes and my entire face were badly burnt I couldn’t open my eyes. I lay there motionless as I knew at that moment that death was imminent. The only choice I had here was to choose which method to die; to drown in the water or to burn in the fire. Then I felt a touch, which turned into a grip and I felt the invisible hands dragging me away through the water away from the fire. The dragging got stronger, I could hear distant voices screaming and calling out names; sirens blowing and then it grew fainter and fainter until I could hear no more.

Written by:

Samuel Nyarko Addo;ghshowbiztv@gmail.com