The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has issued a strong warning to the Ghanaian populace.
This warning follows the increasing attacks on fire service personnel whenever they go to fire scenes to extinguish fires.
According to the fire service, if these attacks do not stop, then the Ghanaian public, especially those in areas where there have been recorded incidents of attacks on their personnel will have put out fires themselves whenever there is a fire outbreak.
A member of the GNFS Public Relations Department, ADO 1 Alex King Nartey, disclosed that some of their officers have sustained injuries after they were attacked at Odumase in the Ashanti region while responding to an explosion in the area.
He disclosed that the fire tender serving residents in Konongo and other adjoining areas was damaged.
“We are cautioning Ghanaians to stop attacking fire officers when they are deployed to scenes to put out fires. It is very unfortunate that these attacks are coming from the Ashanti region. Opinion leaders should make concerted efforts to encourage their people to stop attacking. If they do not stop doing that or stop lying to our officers, they will have to find ways to put out fires themselves.”
The senior fire officer lamented that the Ashanti region has gained notoriety for attacking GORE officers.
The situation he stated was not ideal and posed a risk to their officers.
He proposed to opinion and traditional leaders in the area to take up the matter and address their people, or else they would be compelled to advise themselves.
He then warned they will no longer respond to cases in areas or communities known to be hostile towards fire personnel.
There has been an explosion at shops selling mining explosives in Odumase, near Konongo, in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality of the Ashanti Region.
The fire reportedly started at one of the shops where dynamites and other explosives used by local miners are sold, triggering a powerful blast that destroyed buildings and left multiple people injured.
Although the exact cause of the explosion remains unknown, authorities have confirmed the death of a resident.
Firefighters deployed to contain the blaze also suffered injuries, while some victims reportedly had parts of their bodies dismembered.
The explosion occurred just a few meters away from a fuel station, raising further safety concerns in the area.
