Tamale: Over 900 students displaced as fire ravages Girls’ Dormitory at Northern School of Business

More than 900 students of the Northern School of Business (NOBISCO) have been displaced following a fire outbreak that destroyed parts of the girls’ dormitory on campus in the Tamale Metropolis.

The Senior Housemistress, Madam Andarachi Yidusu, says she was in her office when the alarm was raised.

“I was in my office when the alarm was raised. By the time we rushed to the dormitory, the fire had already spread,” she said.

According to her, the affected dormitory blocks accommodate about 900 students, with each house housing roughly 200 students, leaving school authorities struggling to find immediate shelter for those displaced.

She expressed concern that the incident occurred at a critical time in the academic calendar, especially for final-year students preparing for examinations.

“This is a very difficult time for us. Most of the students affected are final-year students preparing for exams, and now they have lost everything,” Madam Yidusu added.

She further revealed that the fire destroyed basic student necessities, including uniforms, bedding, study materials, food items and other personal belongings.

“They have lost their uniforms, their bedding, their books and even their food. This has made the situation very hard for them,” she said.

The school has therefore appealed to government agencies, old students, civil society organisations and benevolent individuals to support efforts to provide temporary accommodation and essential supplies.

Meanwhile, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has confirmed the incident.

According to Hudu Baba, Public Relations Officer of the GNFS, a distress call was received from the National Control Room in Accra at 14:02 hours, and firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene.

“When we arrived, the upper structure of the girls’ dormitory was already engulfed in flames, and the fire had spread to several rooms,” he explained.

He said the dormitory block contains nine rooms, out of which five rooms were affected.

“We were able to prevent the fire from spreading to the remaining four rooms, including a newly constructed washroom behind the dormitory and other parts of the school compound,” he added.

Some items, including mattresses, boxes and uniforms, were salvaged during the operation.

The Fire Service attributed the intensity of the fire to the large volume of combustible materials, particularly mattresses.

“Each room accommodates not less than 20 students, and the number of mattresses and other combustible materials increased the fire load,” Hudu Baba noted.

The Northern Regional Minister, Adolf Ali John, says school management and education authorities have decided to send second-year students home for a one-week break, while students most affected by the fire will also be allowed to go home.

“Due to the lack of accommodation space, we have no option but to ask the second-year students and those badly affected to go home for one week,” the Minister said.

He added that the break would allow students to receive guidance and counselling, recover from trauma, and replace basic necessities.

“The students are traumatised. This break will help them regain themselves and return to school better prepared,” he explained.

As at the time of reporting, fire personnel were still working to bring the situation under total control.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the Fire Service says investigations are ongoing, cautioning the public against speculation.

No casualties have been officially reported.

Source:Fiilafmonline/3News