The Greater Accra Region of the Ghana National Fire Service recorded a 3% increase in fire outbreaks in the first half of 2023. The region recorded 662 fires in the first half of 2023, as against 640 fires for the same period in 2022.
Data from the Accra Regional Fire Command indicates that at least 66 people died and 24 others suffered injuries due to fire outbreaks and other related incidents in the first half of this year.
This is against 69 deaths and 162 injuries recorded in the previous year.
This was disclosed by the Greater Accra Regional Fire Commander, ACFO I Roberta Aggrey Ghanson during a media engagement at the Regional Headquarters in Accra.
Ghana recorded an increase in fire outbreaks from January to July this year compared to the same period in 2022, according to the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS).
Chief Fire Officer, Julius Kuunor noted that a total of 3,819 fire outbreaks were responded to by fire fighters in 2023, as against 3,678 cases last year.
This represents an increase of 3.8 per cent in fire outbreaks in the country.
The data was provided at the launch of the 2023 Fire Safety Week in connection with the 60th Anniversary in Accra, on the theme; ‘60 Years of Existence: Fire Safety, the Choice for a Safer Environment’.
Out of the total 3,819 fire outbreaks recorded in the period under review, 1,478 were domestic fires, followed by commercial fires, 636, bush fires, 559, electrical fires, 455, vehicular fires, 363, refuse dump fires, 168, institutional fires, 146, and industrial fires 14.
A breakdown of the fire outbreak cases recorded this year so far reveals that 827 cases were recorded in January, 728 cases in February, 622 cases in March, 506 cases in April, 428 cases in May, 337 cases in June, and 371 cases in July.
Meanwhile, ACFO I Ghanson, has charged the public to be fire safety conscious to prevent these unwanted fires.