This follows the Sakumono-Asoprochona Railway enclave fire on May 5, which razed dozens of homes and displaced scores of residents.

Speaking to Citi News on Sunday, May 11, 2025, Divisional Officer Grade 2, Desmond Essoun Ackah, the Head of Public Relations at the Ghana National Fire Service, said such incidents are becoming alarmingly frequent due to negligence, illegal power connections, and the unsafe use of open flames.

He urged Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to take swift action to address the unchecked growth of slum communities and enforce safety measures to prevent future tragedies.

“Those people are low-income earners, and what we in the service have done over the period is to visit them, engage them, and let them know their responsibility, especially, when it comes to fire prevention.

“But as human as they are sometimes, they may be negligent, and for such places, illegal wiring is also rife. People use naked wires anyhow. Therefore these could be the causes of fires in those areas.

But if the assemblies are able to take this up to ensure that these slums do not erupt in the first place or better still, find a decent accommodation for these dwellers, it will go a long way to prevent some of these fires,” he stated.