The Ghana National Fire Service has recorded a 4.9 percent hike in the number of fire outbreaks nationwide from January to December 21, this year.

This is as a result of the many domestic activities engaged in by a large number of people during the lockdown period in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic according to the service.

The Chief Fire Officer of the service, Edwin Ekow Blandson, in his Christmas address to the nation said that, “statistics available from our records puts fire outbreaks from January to 21st December this year at 5966 representing a 4.9 percentage rise in fire outbreaks compared to a figure of 5673 same period in 2019”.

He posited that adherence to fire safety is not being treated with the kind of urgency and attention it deserves thus, the rising figures.

While admitting that “the last quarter of the year has been a great test and a challenge for the Service as we had to grapple with the numerous fire outbreaks in some of our major markets and other areas with all resources available”, Mr. Blandson also praised the Fire Service’s ability to properly manage the outbreaks recorded so far.

The country has been bedeviled with several fire outbreaks from the beginning of the year till date; with the recent one being the burning of 4 Ayalolo buses parked at the Kumasi State Transport Corporation Wednesday night.

Prior to that, an inferno at the Kantamanto Market in Accra on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 destroyed goods worth thousands of cedis and a similar incident within that same vicinity affected the Accra Central branch of GCB Bank.

Mr. Ekow Blandson called on citizens to emulate good safety practices by installing early detection and warning systems as well as fire extinguishers in their premises in order to assist the service succeed in its mandate to save human lives and property from fire destruction.

The fire chief outlined some causes of fires and carnages on our roads and encouraged the public to avoid overloading of electrical sockets, improper and careless usage of LPG among others.

In addition, he applauded all personnel for the high professionalism exhibited during the year 2020 and wished the public a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.