The Bono Region recorded 202 fire outbreaks, destroying property valued at GH699,170, Divisional Officer Grade Three (DOIII) Ruth Tandoh, the Bono Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has said.

In 2021, the region recorded 207 fire outbreaks, which destroyed property and personal belongings, amounting to GH₵432, 302, she said.

She said the outbreaks comprised mostly domestic, industrial, vehicular, institutional, electrical, and commercial and bushfires.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, DOIII Tandoh said in 2022 domestic fires recorded the highest figure of 51 cases with one person dead and four others sustaining various degrees of fire burns.

 The service rescued three people, she added, pointing out that the cost of salvage in 2022 was GHC11, 675 compared with GHC4, 996 in 2021.

    DOIII Tandoh said the devastating effects of fire outbreaks remained enormous and advised the public to help stem, particularly domestic fires by ensuring that they switched off their electrical appliances before they left home for work.

    She ruled out the public perception that firefighters deliberately delayed in attending to fire outbreaks, saying “it is rather fire victims who delayed calls to the service when there is an outbreak”.

“The public is unfamiliar with the service emergency phone number and sometimes calls wrong numbers,” DOIII Tandoh stated, adding that poor access roads and unauthorised structures partly delayed the service to attend to fire outbreaks.

She advised the public against illegal electricity connections, which was also contributing to domestic fire outbreaks, and reminded the public that the dry season had set in, and they must be wary about the way and manner they handled naked fires to stem outbreaks.

“Every household, institution, office and driver must obtain fire extinguishers because it is very necessary”, DOIII Tandoh stated and called on the general public to endeavour to inform the service early whenever there was an outbreak.

The public must also try to provide an emergency exit for them to be rescued when there is a fire outbreak.