Wa, Feb. 26, GNA - The Wa Municipality recorded 98 fire disasters last year but no death with damage caused to property valued at about two million Ghana cedis. Domestic fires topped the fire outbreaks during the year accounting for 35 cases while bush fires placed second with 29 recorded cases.

Statistics made available to the Ghana News Agency at Wa on Thursday showed that 14 of the fires were caused by electrical faults, six were commercial, five involved vehicles and three were from other sources.

Mr. Joseph K. Ahinsah, the Upper West Regional Fire Officer who spoke to the GNA on the spate fire outbreaks in the Municipality, said domestic and bush fires were very common in the region and called for more public education. He identified negligence on the part of domestic fire users as the most common cause of domestic fires that were recorded in the Municipality. Mr Ahinsah appealed to the public to acquire fire extinguishers in their homes. He said the Fire Service would carry out an intensive public education to prevent the early bush burners from doing so to save food crops and the environment from being destroyed. He said in December alone last year 16 bush fires, four domestic, two electrical and one vehicular were recorded within the Municipality.