A fire has destroyed part of the girls’ dormitory at Wa Islamic Senior High School in the Upper West Region, displacing 138 students and destroying their personal belongings.
The blaze broke out on Sunday evening in one of the rooms of the girls’ dormitory before spreading rapidly to other sections of the accommodation block. Two fire tenders from the Ghana National Fire Service were deployed to the scene and eventually brought the fire under control.
The incident marks the third time the same dormitory has been ravaged by fire.
Headmaster of the school, Alhassan Abudu Bafaara, said the fire started at about 7:30 p.m. and quickly engulfed six rooms.
“I dashed back and saw the inferno. It was already high. One hundred and thirty-eight girls in six rooms were affected. Almost everything was gone,” he said.
Although firefighters succeeded in preventing the blaze from spreading further, preliminary assessments indicate that six dormitory rooms were extensively damaged, leaving 138 students without accommodation.
The affected students were safely evacuated, and no injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Investigations underway
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but the Ghana National Fire Service has begun investigations to establish the source of the blaze.
According to the Municipal Fire Commander, investigators are examining several possible causes, including electrical faults, power fluctuations and the illegal use of electrical appliances in the dormitory.
“We know for sure they have these iPads… someone might ask, how do they charge them? We also know the use of these box irons. Some of them use them to cook,” the Fire Commander said.
Officials are also assessing the extent of damage to students’ personal belongings.
Temporary accommodation planned
Wa Municipal Chief Executive, Nura Issah Danwnaa, who visited the school after the incident, said immediate steps would be taken to provide temporary accommodation for the displaced students.
He said some classrooms would be converted into dormitories while efforts are made to complete an uncompleted accommodation block on the school’s campus.
“We will resort to the classrooms as an immediate measure. We also have an uncompleted block. We need to see the contractor to fast-track the work so that we could accommodate them temporarily,” he said.
Authorities say further updates will be provided as investigations continue and arrangements are made to support the affected students.
