Intensified public education on fire safety in the Atwima-Mponua District is paying off within this predominant cocoa growing area as it had recorded no incidence of wildfire over the last two years.

The District Fire Officer, Solomon N.A. Akwei, told the Ghana News Agency that the people were accepting to take responsibility and doing the rights things individually and collectively to stop the destruction of large swathes of food and cocoa farms, forest reserves and farmlands, especially during the harmattan.

He said the success story was not going to make anybody complacent and that it would only inspire them to continue to work hard to sustain efforts at protecting lives and property.

Reporters of the Agency had visited the area under STAR-Ghana’s sponsored media auditing and tracking of development projects, an initiative launched to shine a spotlight on how government’s resources were helping to improve the living conditions of the people, particularly, the rural population.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good local governance.

Mr Akwei said the rate of fire disasters there had generally been low and mainly involved domestic and vehicular fires.

For the year 2013 however, property totaling about GH¢115,000.00 was lost to fire in seven separate incidents that occurred in three communities - Kwanfinfi, Nyinahin and Adiembra.

These, he said, were triggered by electrical surges and faulty vehicle battery.

He put the cost of fire destruction as of November this year, at a little over GH¢25,000.00 and these were also the result of domestic, commercial, vehicular and gas leakage.

They were reported in five communities, including Nyinahin, Adiembra, Agogoso, Kyereyaso-Nkwanta and Amangoase.