138 students displaced as fire destroys Girls’ Dormitory at Wa Islamic SHS
A fire outbreak has destroyed six rooms in the girls’ dormitory at Wa Islamic Senior High School in the Upper West Region, leaving 138 students displaced and causing extensive damage to their personal belongings.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening and was swiftly brought under control by personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), who prevented the flames from spreading to nearby buildings. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting the affected facility, the Headmaster of the school, Alhassan Bafara, commended the Fire Service for its prompt response, which helped contain the blaze.
He said the six rooms were completely destroyed, with the affected students losing nearly all of their possessions.
Following an emergency management meeting, the school directed the 138 affected students to return home temporarily while arrangements are made for alternative accommodation.
Mr. Bafara noted that the fire did not disrupt ongoing examinations, as Form Three students had already completed school, allowing some of the remaining students to be relocated to available classrooms.
Describing the incident as unfortunate, the headmaster revealed that the school had experienced similar fire outbreaks in the past despite efforts to improve safety.
He explained that after previous incidents, the school engaged certified electricians to rewire sections of the dormitory where electrical faults had been detected and also introduced evening monitoring by student cadets until lights-out.
“We have implemented several safety measures, so this incident came as a surprise to us,” he said.
Mr. Bafara added that preliminary assessments point to a possible electrical fault, although investigations are still ongoing and no evidence of foul play has been established.
The Municipal Chief Executive acknowledged the accommodation challenges created by the fire and said the assembly would collaborate with relevant stakeholders to complete an unfinished accommodation facility to help house the displaced students.
Upper West Regional Fire Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Iddrisu Imiran, said firefighters responded quickly after receiving the distress call, with their main objective being to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjoining structures.
“Our priority was to stop the fire from extending to nearby buildings, and we successfully achieved that,” he said.
