Fire Outbreaks in Greater Accra Region Rise

Recent figures gathered from the Ghana National Fire service (GNFL), Greater Accra Region indicate an increase in various forms of fire outbreaks that occurred in the nation's capital.

The cost of property lost runs into several billions of cedis.

As at the end of last year the service had received 684 reported cases of fire outbreaks which show an upsurge in fire outbreaks as compared to the 584 cases which were reported in 2001.

GNFL officials told the Chronicle that, figures on domestic, bush/refuse, institution, commercial and industrial fire outbreaks, which are the major causes, have shown an upward trend.

Figures on domestic fire outbreaks, which increased from 289cases, recorded in 1999 rose to 360 cases and then subsided to 278 in the following year, have increased to 335 last year.

In 1999 the unit recorded 58 cases of bush/refuse fire outbreak; this figure reduced in 2001 and then increased marginally to 43 last year.

Also fire outbreaks in institutions, which in the base year were 48 reduced to 16 in 1999 and then rose sharply to 42 in 2002, representing about 250percent increase.

From 1999 to last year Accra recorded 298 cases of commercial fire outbreaks with the peak years being 1998 (78) and last year (90).

These were disclosed to the Chronicle by the Greater Accra regional commander of GNFS, Mr. David Alleonu in an interview.

Mr. Alleonu disclosed that vehicular fire outbreak reduced to 55 last year from 128 in 1999, and 99 in 2001.

He gave reasons why there was an upsurge in the fire outbreaks as, in most Ghanaian homes, people are negligent in dealing with fire and also since there are insufficient refuse damps, people tend to damp their refuse at their backyards; so when there is any unquenched fire in the refuse it can spread to cause a havoc.

He said people also engage unqualified electricians to connect their electricity and that these electricians do their work shabbily, causing fire out break.

Mr. Alleonu called for the establishment of insurance schemes to protect fire fighters against accidents in the course of their work.

He explained that there is no insurance scheme which covers the personnel, so when they get hurt in the course of fire fighting they have to foot their own hospital bills.

The Regional Commander asaid another problem facing the unit is accommodation. He said the Fire Service has no flats so when there is a fire outbreak and officers are off duty, the authority finds it very difficult in organizing them from their various homes.