ECG explains causes of fire outbreaks

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), has urged the public to ensure that their buildings are properly wired, and have earth and lightning arresters in order to prevent fire outbreaks during power outages.

According to the company, improper electrical fittings and the use of substandard electrical materials in buildings had the tendency of causing fire outbreaks during power fluctuations.

Over the past few weeks, a number of fire outbreaks have been recorded in various parts of the country and these have been partly attributed to frequent electrical interruptions.

However, the Public Relations (PR) Manager of ECG, William Boateng, in an interview with the 'Ghanaian Times', flatly denied the assertion with the explanation that well-fused and properly wired buildings do not catch fire during power outages.

He said the spate of outbreaks in recent times could not be attributed to power outages but rather the use of inferior wiring and defective electrical materials for buildings.

Mr. Boateng said it was unfair for anyone to blame the ECG for the spate of outbreaks because “the power interruptions does not cause fire outbreaks in buildings.”

Also, the PR manager said fire outbreaks could be caused by switchovers from generators to the national grid when the generators are defective or improperly installed.

Another contributing factor to the fire outbreaks, he said, was the illegal electrical connections and urged the public to refrain from that activity in order not to endanger their lives.

He underscored the need for city authorities to insist on the use of fuses in buildings and check the use of defective or substandard electrical materials for building.

“Owners of buildings must use appropriate electrical materials to protect their buildings from fire outbreaks during power fluctuations,” he stressed. He urged owners whose buildings were wired over 20 years ago to check their wiring systems because they could be damaged.

Mr. Boateng announced that ECG had began a load-shedding exercise in some parts of the country and gave the assurance that power would be restored as soon as possible. He said the load shedding exercise would not be as intense as last year’s exercise and pleaded with the public to be calm while the company addressed the problem.