ADOI Hudu Baba
The Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recorded 1,400 prank emergency calls in a single week and 67,200 in 2025, diverting critical resources and putting lives and property at risk.
Over 100 prank calls were received in a day in 2025, which does not help those who really need the emergency lines.
The Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, ADOI Hudu Baba, indicated that the Northern Region recorded a total number of 377 fires from January 1 to December 31, 2025, with an estimated cost of damage to properties at GH¢159,081,662 as against 373 fires with a corresponding estimated cost of damage to properties at GH¢68,217,224 for the same period in 2024, and advised the general public to avoid pranking the service on its emergency numbers.
“This rate of increase in the fire outbreaks recorded for the period under review was 1% and 4 in absolute figures,” he said.
He noted that the cost of items salvaged from these fires amounted to GH¢150,629,102,789 for the period under review as against GH¢1,024,438,464 for the same period in 2024.
“This gives credence to a lot more properties saved from fire ruins. An average of 1 fire was recorded in a day during the year in 2025,” he stated.
The Northern Regional GNFS Public Relations Officer disclosed that two lives were lost through fires, however, no life was lost through flooding, bee evasion and heights rescue. On the Road Traffic Collision (RTC) front, the year under review recorded 1 casualty (injury) while two lives were unfortunately lost through four road traffic collision incidents in 2025 as against 20 casualties (injuries), four lives being lost through five incidents for the same period in 2024, indicating a decrease.
“145 out before arrival cases were recorded in 2025 as against 143 for the same period in 2024. January and December recorded the highest fires of 65 and 52, representing 17.2% and 13.8% respectively. Domestic fires led by 148, commercial 54, electrical 54, and bushfires 14. The rest are vehicular 17, institutional 17, industrial 2 and other fires 19,” he disclosed.
He noted that some of the causes of these fires are electrical faults which stem from circuit overload, arcing, short circuit, inferior cables, compromised or poorly done electrical installations, over-aged wires and earthing problems; gas leakages, unattended cooking; unattended lit candles; mosquito coils, matches, cigarette, poorly done hot works from welding, children, bush burning and deliberate acts.
“The fires recorded suggest a marginal upward trend. It increased from 373 in 2024 to 377 in 2025, indicating a difference of 4 as an increase. The high number of out before arrival cases of 145 also suggests that the education and sensitisation programmes of the service in the region are impacting positively on the general public, as they are now able to manage small fires by themselves. The positive results can be attributed to the Command sensitisation campaign and the fire safety education in both the media landscape and all public spaces such as schools, markets, churches, mosques,” he stated.
He, however, hinted that the slight increase in fires was as a result of the harsh harmattan weather experienced in the first and last three months of 2025 and non-adherence to basic fire safety precautions in, especially domestic settings.
The Northern Regional Command called on the general public to make positive changes in their attitudes with regards to the use of naked lights, gas cooking apparatuses, electricity and electrical appliances to forestall the occurrences of preventable fires.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale