Fire Service Urges Bongo Residents to Guard Against Fires as Harmattan Nears

The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has urged residents of the Bongo District in the Upper East Region to take extra fire safety precautions as the dry harmattan season sets in, according to the Ghana News Agency (GNA).

Assistant Divisional Officer Grade One Patritus Ayiredine, the Service’s Operational Officer in Bongo, said the dry air and strong winds that come with the season raise the risk of fires starting and spreading quickly through homes, farms and forest reserves.

Homes and kitchens

Mr Ayiredine advised residents to switch off electrical appliances and sockets before leaving home, explaining that the heat can weaken electrical insulation and wiring and cause sparks. He also asked parents and guardians to make sure cooking fires are completely put out after use and to keep matches out of children’s reach, noting that children sometimes light small fires to roast groundnuts and leave them unattended.

Farms, trees and charcoal

Farmers were urged to create fire belts around their land when clearing it, so that bushfires do not spread to neighbouring farms and vegetation. The officer named tree felling and charcoal burning as major contributors to fire outbreaks in the district.

He said the Paramount Chief had authorised the arrest of people who cut down trees for charcoal, and that community fire volunteers had also been empowered to arrest offenders.

Mr Ayiredine credited the volunteers with reducing bush burning on farmland. According to him, the district recorded four fire outbreaks during last year’s dry season, and the Service has since stepped up fire safety education in markets, schools and mosques. He said the target this year is a “fire-free season.”

Background

The harmattan is the dry, dusty north-easterly wind that blows from the Sahara into West Africa, usually from around November to March. In Northern Ghana it is the peak period for bushfires and domestic fires, as crops are harvested, grass dries out and many farmers traditionally clear land by burning.

Source: Ghana News Agency — https://gna.org.gh/2026/11/fire-service-cautions-bongo-residents-as-harmattan-season-approaches/