A fire has broken out at the girls’ dormitory of Wa Islamic Senior High School, displacing scores of students and destroying their personal belongings.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, after most students had left the dormitory for their classrooms.
According to the Headmaster of the school, Al-Hassan A. Bafara, sparks were detected in the dormitory while a few students were still inside, prompting school authorities to raise the alarm and call the Ghana National Fire Service and the police.
“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.
Mr Bafara said no injuries or fatalities were recorded in the incident but noted that several students lost their belongings and have been left traumatised.
He said the affected students have been asked to return home temporarily, while the remaining boarding students have been relocated to available classroom blocks.
Speaking to Channel One News, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, DOII Idrisu Imran, said the Service received a distress call at about 7:45 p.m. and immediately dispatched a fire tender to the school.
He explained that by the time firefighters arrived, one of the girls’ dormitory blocks was fully engulfed in flames.
According to him, the affected block consists of five rooms, with each room accommodating about 30 students. He noted that the presence of highly combustible materials such as mattresses, books and clothing contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
The Fire Service said preliminary investigations have begun but declined to disclose possible causes of the fire, explaining that investigations are still ongoing.
Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage as arrangements are made to support the affected students and restore normal academic activities.
