The Upper West Region has recorded an astronomical increase in the number of people that lost their lives arising from fire outbreaks in the region.
This is according to the Upper West Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (FNFS).
Speaking in an interview with Ghanaweb, on Thursday, August 25, 2021, the Regional Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the outfit, Divisional Officer III (DOIII), Mr. Martin Bakobie, disclosed that 13 people lost their lives as a result of fire incidents in the region from January to July in 2021.
According to him, this was a sharp increase from that of last year over the same period where only one person died out of fire outbreaks for the period, January-July in 2020.
He added that the region also recorded 34 injuries arising from fire outbreaks as against 19 registered last year.
Mr. Martin Bakobie also revealed that the overall fire incidents in the period under review (January to July) saw an increase from 135 in 2020 to 178 in 2021.
Out of the various fire incidents, Domestic fire incidents registered the highest with 75 fire outbreaks in 2021 as compared to that of last year over the same period.
Whereas others (uncategorized) fire incidents maintained the same value of 11 for both 2020 and 2021 over the same period, Institutional and Bush fires recorded the lowest increases from 2020 to 2021.
Institutional fires increased from 12 last year to 13 fire outbreaks in 2021, with Bush fires also registering a marginal increase from 25 fires for 2020 to 26 fire outbreaks in 2021.
The PRO emphasized that a total of GH₵ 3,527, 589.00 worth of property was lost to fire outbreaks this year to that of GH₵ 938, 961.00 in 2020.
According to him, the worth of salvaged items for 2021 as a result of fire outbreaks also stood at GH₵ 1,380,612.00 vis a vis that of 2020 which stood at GH₵ 1, 064, 265.00.
File Photo: A scene where fire destroyed properties