Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) James Owusu-Agyei, who serves as the Director of Rural Fires for the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has revealed that there are five specific areas in the country that have been pinpointed as significant bushfire danger zones.

According to him, in the period from January to July of the current year, there have been a total of 21 bushfires reported in the Ahafo region, 144 in the Central region, 104 in the Ashanti region, 70 in the Eastern Region, and three in the NorthEast region.

In contrast, during the previous year, the Ashanti region reported 189 bushfires, the Eastern region had 168, the Central region recorded 199, the North East region had seven, and the Ahafo region reported 46 bushfires.

DCFO Owusu-Agyei revealed this information during an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday.

He mentioned that, in order to decrease the occurrence of bushfires in the recognized high-risk areas, the service is collaborating with various partners, including the National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO), to implement early warning systems that can alert the service about bushfires in advance, allowing for prompt response.

He revealed that bushfire causes a loss of three percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Prod­uct (GDP) annually and destroys the forest cover of the country.

The Director stated that the service from January to July this year, recorded 607 bushfires nationwide as against 871 the previous year within the same period.

“Central Region recorded the highest with 159 cases and Savan­nah recorded the lowest with six cases,” he added.

He said farming activities accounted for 19 percent of the bushfires, hunting 15 percent, and charcoal production 10 percent.

The Director said the reduction was a result of intensified sen­sitisation programmes, and effective collaboration with the stakehold­ers such as the NADMO, Forestry Commission, and other non-gov­ernmental organisations.

“We also liaised with farmers, who we use as volunteers to pro­tect their farms,” he added.

DCFO Owusu-Agyei mentioned the major causes of the fires as negligence, hunting of game, natural causes, and human activities.

He mentioned some challenges such as funding, hence the ability to encourage people to be fire vol­unteers, logistics, and some certain festivals that require the use of fires.

“During the festival, some people go out of order,” DCFO Owusu-Agyei added.

He said enforcing the Con­trol and Prevention of Bushfire Act 1990 (PNDCL 229) would empower the GNFS to prosecute anyone who set fire to the bush and caused harm.

“With the law, the GNFS would also liaise with the District and Municipal Assemblies to enforce the law and mandate us to establish volunteers,” he added.

He encouraged farmers as the country was approaching the dry season to use new farming methods, farm belts and also call for assistance from the service to help prevent bush farming.

The Director advised farmers to practice what they had been educated on and assured them of the GNFS's determination to partner them to reduce the bushfires to save lives and properties.

He appealed to the media to intensify their collaboration with the fire service to ensure lives and properties were saved.