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The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has reported a marginal increase in fire incidents nationwide during the first half of 2025, even as efforts to improve public safety yielded significant gains in other areas.
According to comparative data from January to June 2024 and 2025, a total of 3,595 fire outbreaks were recorded in the first half of 2025 — a slight increase of just 19 cases over the 3,576 incidents during the same period in 2024. This represents a 0.53% rise.
Despite the uptick, over GHS 203 million worth of property was salvaged during the period under review, highlighting the impact of firefighting interventions.
Sharp Decline in Prank Calls
One of the most notable improvements was a dramatic 34.77% reduction in prank calls to the fire service. The number of prank calls dropped from 364,020 in the first half of 2024 to 237,470 in 2025.
GNFS attributes this positive trend to sustained public education campaigns and increased awareness of the legal consequences of misusing emergency lines.
“These efforts are clearly paying off,” a GNFS spokesperson noted. “Reducing prank calls means our emergency lines are more accessible to people in real need.”
Top Causes of Fire Incidents
The leading causes of fires in 2025 remained largely consistent with previous years. These include:
- Electrical faults from illegal connections, poor wiring, and overloading of circuits.
- Improper use of electrical appliances, such as overused extension cords and unattended devices.
- Unattended cooking, especially with gas, electric, or coal-based stoves.
- Careless use of naked flames like candles, mosquito coils, lighters, and matches.
- Gas leakages and poor handling of LPG cylinders.
- Bush and vegetation burning, particularly during the dry season.
- Vehicle fires due to poor maintenance and road accidents.
- Unsafe welding and other hot-work practices.
- Deliberate acts of arson.
Regional Breakdown
The Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of fire incidents with 628 cases, followed by the Ashanti Region with 581 cases and the Central Region with 408. The North East Region reported the lowest number of incidents — just 10.
Cause of the Rise
The GNFS attributes the slight rise in fire outbreaks to the harsh harmattan conditions experienced in the first quarter of 2025 and general non-compliance with fire safety protocols by sections of the public.
The Service has reiterated its call for continued vigilance and adherence to safety measures, especially as the dry season approaches again in the latter part of the year.
Source:citinewsroom.com
Yaw Boagyan
Rafiq Adam
