Northern region records 218 fire cases in mid-year

The Northern region has recorded 218 fire cases from January to June, this year with an estimated cost of damage to property worth GH¢2,908.991.

This was a slight increase over the figure recorded during the same period in 2021, which stood at 217 with the cost of damage to property estimated at GH¢2,139.291.

This was in a press statement issued by the Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) signed by Assistant Divisional Officer Grade two (ADO II) Mr Baba Hudu, Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, and copied the Ghana News Agency in Tamale.

The statement said the cost of items salvaged from fires this year amounted to GH¢4, 580.442 for the period under review as against GH¢1,899.433 for the same period in 2021, representing an increase of 141.15 per cent.

It stated that 11 people died in road traffic collisions in the first half of 2022 as against 13 deaths in 2021, which represented a 15 per cent decrease.

It said Tamale Metro Fire Station attended to 63 fire cases being the highest, followed by the Regional Headquarters Sub-station, which attended to 39, while Bimbilla Fire Station attended to eight.

It said the fires were caused by electrical faults, which stemmed from circuit overload, arson, inferior cables, short circuits, compromised electrical installations and earthing problems.

Other causes the statement noted were gas leakages, unattended cooking, mosquito coils and candles that were left unattended to, bad hot works from welding and deliberate acts.

The statement advised members of the public to stop prank calls to the GNFS.

It said: “The command, notwithstanding this marginal increase in fire and related cases in the first half of the year, is poised with the support of the public to assiduously work to reduce the rate of fires through its continuous and intensified safety education.”

Source: GNA