Six Rooms Destroyed, 135 students displaced in Fire Outbreak at Islamic Senior High School in Wa

A fire outbreak at Islamic Senior High School (ISSEC) in Wa on Sunday night destroyed five rooms at the school’s Wahada House dormitory, leaving several students displaced and causing extensive damage to their belongings.

Speaking in an interview with Kangyiri Radio, the Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), DOII Imran Iddris, said the Service received a distress call at about 7:00 p.m. and responded immediately to the scene.

“We received a distress call at 7:00 p.m. and attended to the situation promptly,” he said.

According to DOII Iddris, the fire affected five rooms in the Wahada House dormitory. The blaze destroyed beds, mattresses, chop boxes and other personal belongings belonging to the affected students.

He said the Ghana National Fire Service deployed two fire tenders to the scene, with firefighters spending approximately four hours battling the flames before bringing the situation under control and preventing it from spreading to other parts of the school.

DOII Iddris disclosed that students reported seeing smoke emanating from the roof of the dormitory before the fire intensified.

He also raised concerns about the school’s inadequate fire safety measures, noting that the facility lacked essential firefighting equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire hydrants.

“The fire safety measures in the school are inadequate. Fire extinguishers and fire hydrants are not available,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Headmaster of Islamic Senior High School, Al-Hassan Bafara, assured students and parents that management had already begun taking steps to address the situation.

He said the school’s management had held an emergency meeting following the incident and that appropriate measures would be taken to rehabilitate the affected dormitory and restore normal accommodation for the students as soon as possible.

No injuries or fatalities were reported. The Ghana National Fire Service has commenced investigations to determine the cause of the fire.