The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has responded to the remarks made by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, during his visit to the site of the devastating fire outbreak at Adum in Kumasi on Friday, March 21, 2025.

The fire, which broke out in a commercial building near the Adum Central Market, caused significant damage to shops and properties worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

Several traders were left counting their losses as firefighters worked to contain the blaze.

During his visit to the scene, Dr. Amoakohene expressed frustration upon noticing what he believed to be an empty fire tender parked at the site.

He questioned the firefighters on duty, demanding to know why the vehicle was present if it lacked water.

“If there is no water in the tender, what is it doing here? If you have any challenge, why don’t you tell me immediately?” the minister angrily asked.

In response to the minister’s remarks, Alex King Nartey, Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, defended the service’s efforts, stating that the challenges faced by firefighters cannot be resolved by mere outbursts.

“Action is not by shouting or creating a public spectacle. This is a minister who is well aware of our challenges as a service. Even as of March 6, when our officers engaged him during a cleaning exercise, he assured them he would help fix our fire tender at our Metro Station. That promise is yet to be fulfilled,” King Nartey said in an interview with GHOne TV.

He further emphasised that the ability to fight fires depends on adequate resources, not just verbal reprimands.

“We didn’t have this kind of scene at Kantamanto yet we were able to extinguish the fire. Shouting does not fight fires or extinguish fires,” he added.

Investigations into the cause of the fire are still ongoing.