Tamale: BISCO Boys’ dormitory destroyed by fire

Personnel of the Ghana national fire service and the ambulance service rescued 16-year-old Wahid Abdallah who was caught up by the fire when his dormitory caught fire on the night of Thursday, April 6, 2023.

Business SHS (BISCO) had one of their boys’ dormitories completely burnt yesterday in Tamale.

Fire officials said the incident occurred at dawn on Thursday, affecting the school prefect’s room, with fire officials acting swiftly to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the building.

The Public Relations Officer for the Ghana National Fire Service, ADO II, Baba Hudu, revealed that only one student was in the affected room when the incident happened as schools are on Easter break.

The incident is the latest in a series of fire outbreaks in Senior High Schools in the Northern region. Saint Charles Minor Seminary Senior High School alone has suffered more than five fire outbreaks over the last three years, reducing the dormitory capacity by more than a thousand students.

Last year, the Tolon Senior High School was closed temporarily following a fire outbreak that destroyed a two-story girls’ dormitory with a capacity of more than 500 students.

Though officials are yet to identify the cause of these fire outbreaks, fire officials suspect poor wiring and reckless use of electrical gadgets by students are to blame for the disasters.