E/R: 75 students displaced, 8 injured as fire ravages dormitory at KOTECH

At least eight (8) students have sustained minor injuries whilst learning materials, laptops, tools and other personal effects of 75 displaced students have been burnt to ashes in a ravaging fire outbreak at Koforidua Technical Institute (KOTECH) in the Eastern region.

The fire started at about 11:30 pm Monday, November 14, 2022, from the roofing level of one of the rooms in the first floor of the dormitory.

The fire spread quickly to three other rooms burning everything to ashes.

Many of the students were sleeping when the fire started but rushed out when the alarm was raised about the fire outbreak at the incipient stage.

Some of the students jumped from the first floor resulting in the injury whilst others suffered bruises as they jolted to escape amid darkness and billowing smoke.

All the injured students except one have been treated and discharged.

One is however on admission at St Joseph hospital receiving treatment.

The affected students want management to vacate them to go home temporarily since they have lost everything to the fire except the dresses they were wearing. They also feel traumatized.

However, the Principal of the school, Engineer Bernard Forson said, management will not vacate the affected students and that, efforts are being made to supply their immediate needs and accommodations to enable them stay in school for their pending terminal examination.

Meanwhile, the New Juaben North Member of Parliament, Nana Adjei Boateng, visited the school and donated Ghc20,000 for some pressing needs of the students.

Okyere Boateng Samuel, Head of Planning New Juaben North Municipal Education office addressing the students, admonished them to comport themselves and not to take advantage of the situation to misbehave on campus.

The New Juaben North Municipal Fire Commander, DFO Emmanuel Acquaye said upon receiving a call around 11:55 pm from the housemaster of the school, they swiftly mobilized their fire thunders to the scene and they were able to confine and extinguish the fire without spreading to the other dormitories.

He said an investigation is ongoing to establish the cause of the fire outbreak.