The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is urging shop owners to observe safety precautions against fires, similar to how they secure their shops.
The Service said, in its efforts to douse the fire that gutted more than 40 shops at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Tip-toe-lane on Sunday, May 21, it realised that some of the shops had several padlocks, a situation the Service described as commendable but lack fire extinguishers and safety measures.
Speaking in an interview with Citi News, a member of the Public Relations Department at the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Headquarters, ADOII Alex Nartey urged shop owners to secure fire extinguishers for unforeseen circumstances.
“One shop could have as much as 10 padlocks, they have fortified themselves per security but not themselves. They are more scared of thieves than fires. I’m sure you have not seen a single fire extinguisher over there. We will urge people that as much as they give prominence to their security, they should give prominence to their safety. What we as a service will do is to keep on intensifying the risk of fires and how best they can protect themselves when they see fires at the incipient stages,” ADOII Alex Nartey admonished.
The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) is asking shop owners to demand the set-up of fire stations from their various Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies (MMDAs) in order for tender movements to be swift in responding to the incidences of fire.
“People should put pressure on their elected representatives to establish fire stations within their areas to protect them, because at the end of the day, we as a service are committed to protecting people. We just can’t use our authority to set up fire stations, unless the Municipal and District Assemblies set up a place,” a member of the Public Relations Department at the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) Headquarters advised.
Ten fire incidents were recorded in Accra on Sunday
The Ghana National Fire Service says ten fire incidents were recorded on Sunday, May 21, 2023, in Accra.
This comes after a bakery and some shops were burnt at Kotobabi Abavanna Down and a similar incident at Circle Tiptoe Lane which also led to the destruction of several shops.
Although no casualties were recorded, properties worth thousands of cedis were lost to the inferno on Sunday.
