The Ashanti Region has recorded eight deaths from 127 fire incidents in the first quarter of this year.
 
This is an improvement over the 226 fires recorded within the same period last year.

Poor adherence to basic fire prevention measures is a major cause of the recent fire incidents.
 
The latest fire outbreak occurred Tuesday dawn at a slum in Kumasi, About 40 wooden shacks were destroyed.

Ashanti Region Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Fire Service, DO Desmond Ackah explains that poor electrical wiring and gas leakages are leading causes of domestic and market fires.
 
"The domestic fire outbreaks that we have had over the past few weeks have been caused by gas leakages. Especially, the ones that were recorded around the Atonsu area.

"The recent one that happened at Kumasi Central Market was due to a lightning activity that affected a compromised electrical wiring system and led to that particular fire outbreak", he stated.

Desmond Ackah explained that a recent fire outbreak at Asafo, behind the COCOBOD, was also caused by a naked light that came into contact with combustible materials such as cotton and burnt the wooden structures.

"What has happened this morning is still under investigation, and we are hopeful of finding the cause by the end of the day."
 
The Kumasi Central Market and Krofrom Market have both recorded two fire incidents this year.

 Asafo BB, Dagomba Line and Krofrom are slums that have also recorded similar incidents.

The PRO said the service is on a sensitisation drive to help curtail such fire incidents.

"We have been to a number of schools and never relented in efforts to educate the public. We have been to institutions, lorry parks, various communities and taken advantage of information centres to undertake public education but what remains is the non-adherence to basic fire safety measures on the part of the citizenry.

Desmond Ackah urged the general public not to hesitate in calling the Fire Service in case of any fire outbreak.

"Our emergency numbers have not chang from the 112 ad 992. So rely on them," he added.