The Deputy Upper West Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), ADOI Imran Iddrisu has advised school authorities and students of Senior High Schools (SHS) to avoid acts that can result in fire outbreaks.
According to him, acts such as illegal connections can lead to fire outbreaks.
ADOI Imran said this in an interview with Info Radio concerning the fire outbreak at the Lassia Tuolu SHS at the weekend which destroyed the school’s assembly hall and properties worth thousands of Ghana Cedis.
"There are certain measures that school authorities need to implement to ensure student safety. Currently, if you inspect the wiring, you may find that students are making unauthorized connections, and you may even notice exposed wires without any intervention. To prevent potential accidents, proper monitoring and supervision should be put in place," he said.
He explained that the Lassia Tuolu SHS authorities delayed in calling the fire service for assistance which partly resulted in the level of damage recorded.
“We received a call at around 2:30 am regarding the fire. However, our investigation suggests that the fire had already been burning for a while before they called us. We promptly responded with our fire tender and also reached out to our station in Wechiau to take the lead as we followed up to the scene. They arrived, but the level of damage was already significant. The walls, zinc, and wood had collapsed, and all the properties in the hall had been burnt.”
He mentioned that investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire outbreak and he couldn't immediately tell what caused it.