By Florence Afriyie Mensah, GNA
Kumasi, Jan. 15, GNA – The Ashanti Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service has through timely interventions and increased advocacy recorded a drop in the number of fire incidents in the year 2025.
According to the Command, at the end of 2024, a total of 1,172 fire cases were recorded as against 1,023 at the end of 2025.
This shows a difference of 149 drop in numbers compared to the two years, representing a 13 percent decrease in reported fire outbreaks. However, the number of fire deaths increased from nine (9) in 2024 to 12 in 2025.
Divisional Officer II (DO II) Peter Addai, the Regional Public Relations Officer, briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, indicated that the Command was able to reduce all the categories of fires except for vehicular and electrical fires which saw marginal increases.
In 2025, 137 vehicular fires were recorded compared to 118 in the previous year while electrical fires rose from 120 in 2024 to 125 in 2025.
A total of 416 domestic fires, highest in the categories, was recorded in 2025 although the previous year reported 417 cases.
For the other categories, industrial fires reduced from 22 in 2024 to 12 in the year 2025, institutional fires dropped from 44 in 2024 to 37 in 2025, and the number of bushfires decreased from 159 in the previous year to 101 in 2025.
DO II Addai said the causes of these fires had mostly been attributed to unattended cooking, electrical faults, improper handling of naked fire, improper handling of flammable substances, and electrical malfunctioning.
Going forward, he told the GNA that the Command through enhanced safety education programmes and public support expected a decrease in fire outbreaks by about 40 percent in 2026.
He called for a strong support from the public to address issues of fire, adding that fire incidents were a shared responsibility that Ghanaians must take seriously.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/Linda Asante Agyei