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Regional News of Friday, 1 February 2008

Source: GNA

Techiman recorded 15 fire outbreaks in January

Techiman (B/A), Feb. 1, GNA- The Techiman municipal office of the Ghana National Fire Service recorded 15 fire outbreaks in January this year.

There were eight domestic fires in Techiman, six bushfires and one vehicular fire that claimed two lives. Mr Thomas Tuffour, Municipal Fire Officer, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency cautioned the public against fire outbreaks, saying what happened at Takofiano, a suburb of Techiman recently should be a lesson to parents.

"Parents must closely monitor the movements of their children to steer them away from danger", he said, recounting the burning to death of some children who were siphoning petrol from a petrol tanker, which was involved in an accident when it caught fire.

He warned parents to ensure that all electrical appliances were switched off when they are leaving home to prevent domestic fire outbreaks, which had become rampant in the municipality. Mr Tuffour appealed to pastors and other religious leaders to use the pulpit to educate their congregations against fire outbreaks and also help to stem the many fire outbreaks in the area.

He reminded the public that a taskforce comprising the police, fire service, military and the National Disaster Management Organisation had been formed to forestall the recurrence of fire outbreaks in the municipality.

Mr Tuffour asked communities in the municipality to co-operate with the task-force to track offenders, especially group hunters.