A devastating fire on Sunday, April 26, in Navrongo in the Upper East Region has razed several shops. Personnel from the Navrongo Central Fire Station responded promptly to the distress call to prevent the fire from spreading further.

On Sunday, April 12 a fire outbreak destroyed several shops at Madina Ritz Junction in Accra. According to the Ghana National Fire Service, the shops, which were made of wooden structures and containers, were destroyed on Sunday, April 12.

However, the swift intervention by GNFS personnel prevented the fire from spreading further. Meanwhile, the cause of the fire had not been made public at the time of reporting.

This is not the first time traders at the market have experienced a fire outbreak. Last year, a devastating fire swept through multiple wooden structures at Madina Ritz Junction.

According to GNFS, three fire engines from the Madina, Legon, and Abelemkpe were present at the scene to douse the fire.

“Rigorous firefighting operations are currently underway. Trust your gallant firefighters to swiftly work hard to bring the situation under control," parts of the post read.

The victims were left with nothing to recover; they have therefore appealed to the government to come to their aid.

Meanwhile, Ghana faces possible intermittent power outages due to a fire incident at Ghana Grid Company Limited’s (GRIDCo) substation within the Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam complex in the Eastern Region.

Speaking to the media on Friday, the Spokesperson and Head of Communications at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition Ghana, Richmond Rockson, disclosed that the blaze which occurred on Thursday, April 23, damaged a transmission system with a capacity of about 720 megawatts.

He described the development as “a significant hit,” explaining that the affected system supplies electricity to major parts of the country.

He added, “The system that got affected was about 720 megawatts. That system transmits power to major parts of the country, so this is a significant hit. The Akosombo Dam generates a little over 1,000 megawatts.”

Meanwhile, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined by authorities.

In April 2025, a raging fire ripped through the Madina Redco Flats area, reducing more than 150 structures to ashes and claiming the life of a young Nigerian woman. The inferno, which began around 11:15 p.m., rapidly spread across 140 wooden kiosks and 20 metal containers that served as homes and business outlets.

Though firefighters from the Madina Fire Station arrived on the scene within two minutes, the blaze had already intensified. One fatality was recorded—a Nigerian woman affectionately known in the area as Beauty. Believed to be in her early twenties, she was trapped in her room and could not escape. Her charred remains were retrieved and handed over to the Madina Police for preservation and further investigation.

Last year, about 50 stalls got burnt to ashes after the Madina Market in Accra caught fire. Deputy Director of Operations at the Ghana National Fire Service, D.O.1. Kofi Forson, who engaged the media, recounted the challenges the firefighters faced in quenching the flame.

“It was not easy for us and there was a lack of access to where the fire was spreading and because it happened in the night, the shops were closed and we had to break through and that made it tedious,” he said.

In the first half of the year, the Ghana National Fire Service has reported a marginal increase in fire outbreaks. A comparison of data from January to June last year and that of this year's first six months indicates that Ghana recorded 3,595 fire cases.

According to the Ghana National Fire Service, that is about 19 more cases than the 3,576 cases recorded during the same time in 2024, a sharp increase in cases representing a 0.53% rise.

The monthly breakdown of fire cases reported this year is as follows: January (964), February (678), March (619), April (483), May (457), and June (394).

The Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of fire incidents, with 628 cases, followed by the Ashanti Region with 581 cases and the Central Region with 408. The North East Region reported the lowest number of incidents—just 10.

Head of Public Relations at the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Desmond Ackah, revealed that due to their improved and swift response to fire cases, they were able to save over GH¢203 million worth of properties.

Fire outbreaks across the country in the first half of 2025 led to the destruction of properties valued at over GH¢188 million.

Top causes of fire incidents, according to the Ghana National Fire Service, include electrical faults through illegal connections, poor wiring, and overloading of circuits; improper use of electrical appliances, such as overused extension cords and unattended devices.

Also, unattended cooking, especially with gas, electric, or coal-based stoves. Careless use of naked flames like candles, mosquito coils, lighters, and matches, gas leakages, and poor handling of LPG cylinders are also responsible for fire incidents in the country.