According to Divisional Officer II, Mr Callistus Nibunu, the Regional Public Relations Officer, Ghana National Fire Service, most of the fires recorded in the region could have been prevented or the magnitude of damage reduced if people abided by the principles of fire prevention and control.

Mr Nibunu, who doubles as the Bolgatanga Municipal Fire Officer, made the disclosure to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Bolgatanga.

He said the situation was worse in marketplaces where traders and vehicles congested the areas, obstructing movement and preventing responses to fire emergencies.

Statistics from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has shown that fire outbreaks in the Upper East Region have reduced marginally in 2021 as compared to 2020.

Per the data, fire cases dropped by four from 330 in 2020 to 326 in 2021, but domestic fires continued to dominate the region with 161 and 160 cases recorded in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Although, GH?98,000.00 worth of property was destroyed as a result of fire outbreaks in 2021, GH?1,780,000.00 worth of property was salvaged with no death recorded, he added.

Mr Nibunu expressed worry about the high incidents of fire outbreaks in the region and said the failure of people to abide by the tenets of fire prevention has been the bane in preventing fire outbreak in the region.

The PRO underscored the need for the public to view the fighting of fires as a shared responsibility and assist the GNFS to deliver on its mandate by observing all the fire safety measures recommended to prevent fires from occurring and aid in responding to contingencies.

Mr Nibunu explained that the GNFS in the region had mapped out strategies to train and intensify education of various stakeholders and institutions on fire prevention and handling.

“Going forward in 2022, there is going to be more education, inspections, recommendations and strict monitoring to ensure that people are actually complying with the recommendations. We will also be training people and institutions on how to use the fire extinguishers and how to detect fires and the appropriate means of extinguishing method one should use,” he added.

He said the GNFS would further deepen its collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education and the Municipal and District Assemblies as well as traditional and religious authorities, to sensitise residents at the regional and district levels through durbars and other gatherings.