Year: 2026
Categories Editor's Pick

The management of the Wa Islamic Senior High School has asked 138 female students affected by a dormitory fire disaster in the school to return home temporarily. This followed the destruction of their accommodation and personal belongings in the blaze. The affected students were expected to return to school over the weekend to prepare for their end-of-semester examinations scheduled for next week. The fire outbreak, which occurred on Sunday, 2nd August 2026, at about 1945 hours while the students were in class for evening studies, destroyed six rooms of the girls’ dormitory and their contents. Mr Alhassan A. Bafaara, the Headmaster of School, disclosed this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Busa. He said following the incident, the management and teachers held an emergency meeting to assess the situation and determine the most appropriate measures to support the affected students while ensuring academic activities continued uninterrupted. Mr Bafara, therefore, explained that students who were not directly affected by the fire had been relocated to vacant classrooms, while the affected ones had been sent home. Recounting the incident, Mr Bafara said: “Most of the students had moved from the dormitories to the classrooms for studies, and the dormitories were about to be locked.” He added sparks were later observed in the dormitory, and the alarm was immediately raised, which prompted the staff and students to report the incident. He said though no life was lost, the affected students had suffered significant emotional distress after losing their personal belongings, including mattresses, books, clothing and other valuables. Mr Bafaara assured parents and guardians that the school’s management was working with the Ghana Education Service, the Wa Municipal Assembly and the Ghana National Fire Service to restore normalcy on campus and ensure the welfare of all students. Alhaji Nurah Issah Danwaana, the Wa Municipal Chief Executive, who visited the school on Monday, said the Assembly was assessing the extent of damage caused by the fire. He added that they were also exploring immediate measures to accommodate the 138 students displaced by the incident when they returned. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Grade II (AFCO II) Mr Isaac Kofi Obosu, the Upper West Regional Commander of the Ghana National Fire Service, explained that the firefighters adopted a defensive strategy to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining structures. He said the Service was examining several possible causes of the fire and gave the assurance that they would complete investigations into the incident as soon as possible. ACFO II Mr Obosu said preliminary assessments had pointed to possible electrical faults as the school authorities had acknowledged experiencing technical challenges with the electrical system.

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Categories Editor's Pick

Wa Islamic SHS fire disaster: 138 girls sent home

The management of the Wa Islamic Senior High School has asked 138 female students affected by a dormitory fire disaster in the school   to return home temporarily. This followed the destruction of their accommodation and personal belongings in the blaze. The affected students were expected to return…

Read More