A fire outbreak has destroyed part of the girls’ dormitory at Wa Islamic Senior High School (SHS) in the Upper West Region, leaving several students displaced and destroying their personal belongings.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, after most of the students had left the dormitory for their evening studies in their classrooms.
The headmaster of the school, Al-Hassan A. Bafara, said authorities noticed sparks coming from the dormitory while a few students were still inside and immediately raised the alarm.
“We observed some sparks in the dormitory and immediately raised the alarm. We called the Ghana National Fire Service and the police, and within about 30 minutes, the fire was brought under control,” he said.
He added that the quick response from the emergency services helped prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the school.
Although no injuries or deaths were recorded, Mr. Bafara said the blaze destroyed the personal belongings of several students, leaving many of them traumatised.
He disclosed that the affected students have been asked to return home temporarily, while the remaining boarders have been relocated to available classroom blocks as the school works to restore normal accommodation.
Speaking to Accra-based Channel One News, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), DOII Idrisu Imran, said the Service received a distress call at about 7:45 p.m. and quickly dispatched a fire tender to the school.
According to him, firefighters arrived to find one of the girls’ dormitory blocks completely engulfed in flames.
Mr. Imran explained that the affected block consists of five rooms, each housing about 30 students. He noted that the presence of highly combustible materials, including mattresses, books and clothing, fuelled the rapid spread of the fire.
The GNFS has begun investigations into the incident but says it is too early to determine the cause of the blaze.
Meanwhile, school authorities are assessing the extent of the damage while arrangements are being made to support the affected students and ensure teaching and learning continue with minimal disruption.
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