65 Killed by fire in 2013
Sixty-five people died while 44 others sustained injuries in 4,171 fire outbreaks recorded in 2013, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has said.
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Eight hundred and thirty-six out of the fire outbreaks occurred in the Ashanti Region, with the Brong Ahafo Region recorded 553 cases, with the Greater Accra and Central Regions registering 547 and 405 cases respectively.
According to the acting Head of Public Relations of the GNFS, Mr Ellis Robinson Okoe, periodic fire safety audit conducted by the service had found out that most companies did not adhere to fire safety advice, which caused fire outbreaks.
He also said the service had formed a market safety taskforce that moved round the markets to educate market women on fire safety.
Mr Okoe said investigations had revealed that market fire outbreaks in 2013 were caused by inferior cables and illegal electrical connections.
He said that the service would review all the safety audit reports for the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to ensure that they met safety standards.
He advised property owners to provide fire safety gadgets on their premises.
Mr Okoe further advised the public to be safety-conscious and take measures to protect themselves against preventable fire accidents.
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He said the service had established a rapid response team comprising the Police, Fire Service, the Ambulance Unit and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly to ensure fire safety.
He advised farmers and palm wine tappers to be cautious in their activities, especially in the dry season since a lot of them used fire.
Mr Okoe appealed to employers and organisations to ensure that employees were taught basic fire safety measures periodically, adding that the government must provide the needed logistics to combat fires.