The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council has raised serious concern over the increasing number of fire outbreaks across the region as the dry season intensifies.
In a statement signed and issued by the Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, the Council said reports from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) indicate a worrying rise in both domestic and commercial fire incidents in recent weeks.
Figures from GNFS indicate that from January 1 to January 28 2026, a total of 125 fire incidents have been recorded across the Ashanti Region.
According to the Regional Coordinating Council, the trend poses a major threat to lives, property, and the local economy, especially in urban centres where markets, shops, and residential buildings are densely packed.
The statement attributes most of the fires to poor electrical wiring, careless handling of naked flames, illegal connections, and unsafe storage of flammable materials.
The Council is therefore urging the general public to take fire safety seriously by ensuring regular checks on electrical systems, avoiding the use of faulty electrical appliances, switching off electrical devices when not in use, and keeping flammable materials away from heat sources.
The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council appealed to traders, homeowners, and business operators to work closely with the Ghana National Fire Service to carry out fire safety inspections in their premises.
REGSEC also raised concern about obstruction of access routes means for emergency services.
“The indiscriminate reaction of stalls, containers, kioks, and permanent structures on roads, alleys, and access ways within markets and residential areas continues to hinder the swift movement of fire tenders during emergencies. This unacceptable practice has, on several occasions, delayed emergency response and increased losses that could otherwise been minimized. Blocking access routes for emergency services will no longer be tolerated” Dr Amoakohene warned.
The Council further called on traditional authorities, market leaders, and local assemblies to intensify public education on fire prevention, especially during the harmattan season.
It assured residents that the Regional Security Council, in collaboration with the Ghana National Fire Service and other emergency agencies, is strengthening monitoring and response mechanisms to reduce the impact of future fire incidents.
The statement ends with a call for collective responsibility, stressing that preventing fire outbreaks is a shared duty that requires the cooperation of all residents in the Ashanti Region.
