A devastating fire has destroyed a fashion training centre at Top High in Kumasi, reducing sewing machines, fabrics and other valuable equipment to ashes and leaving dozens of apprentices uncertain about their future.

The fire broke out at about 7:00 am on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at Adoma Fashion School, a training centre that serves more than 30 students and workers.

By the time firefighters from the KNUST and Asokore Mampong Fire Stations brought the blaze under control after nearly an hour, property worth thousands of cedis had been destroyed.

Their swift intervention, however, prevented the fire from spreading to nearby shops and residential buildings.

Officials of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) have since launched investigations to determine the cause of the fire.

Recounting the terrifying moments before the blaze engulfed the facility, the Secretary of Adoma Fashion School, Adom May, said what initially appeared to be a minor incident quickly escalated beyond control.

"I was packing clothes at the entrance of the shop when I saw smoke coming from a small room inside. We initially thought it was an electrical fault, so we started switching off the sockets. But within a minute, the fire became intense. We immediately called the Fire Service while trying to use the fire extinguisher to control it, but we couldn't. By the time the firefighters arrived, everything had already been destroyed," she recounted.

The aftermath of the fire left workers and apprentices in tears as they watched the charred remains of the shop that had served as both their classroom and source of livelihood.

Many said they had lost not only equipment but also their means of earning a living, with uncertainty now hanging over their training and future careers.

One of the apprentices, Nana Yaw Konadu, appealed to the government and philanthropists to come to the aid of the school's owner.

"This is where we learn our trade and earn a living. We are pleading with the government and benevolent individuals to support our madam to rebuild the shop because she is going through difficult times and also has a newborn baby," he said.

The KNUST District Fire Commander, DOII Anthony Appiah, said the Fire Service received the distress call at 7:40 a.m., with the first crew arriving at the scene five minutes later.

According to him, firefighters quickly realised additional support was needed and requested reinforcement from the Asokore Mampong Fire Station. Together, the two teams managed to contain the blaze in less than an hour.

DOII Appiah disclosed that although a fire extinguisher was available in the shop, none of the workers or bystanders knew how to use it, allowing the fire to spread rapidly.

"There was a fire extinguisher in the shop which could have helped prevent the fire from spreading, but the workers and people around did not know how to use it. That is why they could not stop the fire before it caused extensive damage," he explained.

He urged shop owners and the general public to seek basic fire safety training from the Ghana National Fire Service, stressing that knowing how to operate a fire extinguisher could help prevent minor incidents from escalating into major disasters.

"We encourage everyone who has a fire extinguisher at home, in a shop or at the workplace to contact the Ghana National Fire Service for training on how to use it effectively. Knowing how to operate it can help prevent small fires from becoming major disasters," he advised.

Meanwhile, JoyNews reports that this is the third fire outbreak recorded at the same building, a development that has heightened concerns among traders and residents over the safety of lives and property within the Tech-Top High enclave.

NA/VPO

HEALTH FOCUS: What every mother should know about maternal mental health