The Municipal Chief Executive of the Okaikwei North, Honourable Boye Laryea has expressed worry over the spate of fire outbreaks in the Municipality.
He believes the issue was becoming a security issue that requires urgent attention by all stakeholders including officials of the Electricity Company of Ghana.
Honourable Laryea recalled how the Assembly’s offices narrowly escaped fire outbreaks on three consecutive times following the change of metres in the office.
At least two separate fire incidents were recorded in the Municipality between 29th and 30th June 2024 destroying properties running into thousands of Cedis.
The Legends Pub, a hairdressing saloon and one other shop located in the Municipality were razed down by fire Sunday dawn.
That was after fire gutted a provision shop on Saturday evening.
However, speaking to journalists during a tour on Monday, the Okaikwei North MCE attributed the fires to the new ECG metres, questioning their fire resistance capacity.
He served notice that the Assembly would officially petition ECG over the metres stressing that shop owners who have lost their sources of income through the needless fires should be assisted by the Company.
Honourable Laryea advised the ECG to stop changing the prepaid metres until closure is brought to the matter.
He urged residents in the Municipality to be alert.
Kofi Nyarko, the Owner of the Legends Pub noted that he has lost all his capital through the inferno and that the government should come to his aid.
He was empathic that the ECG Prepaid metre was the cause of the fire at the pub adding that the metre was changed some few days before the incident.
According to him, eye witnesses said the fire started from the metre before spreading to other parts of the shop.
The sentiments of Mr. Nyarko were not different from Esther Ohenewaa who estimates that she has lost over fifty thousand (GH¢50,000) from the fire that gutted her provision shop.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
