Islamic Girls SHS fire: Over 100 mattresses burnt

Correspondence from Eastern Region

Over one hundred student mattresses and chop boxes, books and food items belonging to students were consumed in Thursday's fire outbreak at the Islamic Girls Senior High School in Suhum.

Information gathered indicated that the burnt mattresses were the ones given to the school for distribution to the students as government's Free SHS intervention.

The fire gutted one of the rooms containing students' belongings that had been converted into a box room on midnight of Thursday, January 21, 2021 with the cause still unknown.

In an interview with Ghanaweb's Eastern Correspondent, McAnthony Dagyenga, the Headmistress of the school, Madam Saphia Salisu, said no student was affected and that only one student who attempted getting closer to the raging fire inhaled the thick smoke that caused her to have headache "but she is fine now and even in class."

According to her the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) officers had been to the school to do an impact assessment and assured her of getting back positively.

The Headmistress also said the Fire Service was still investigating to ascertain the cause of the incident.

"By 12:30am the Fire Service had finished quenching the fire and we also talked to the students to assure them of our support"

"This morning the fire service was writing the report and investigating the cause. NADMO has also been here and I have also informed my Municipal Director of Education and the Regional Director of Education," she said.

She further explained that the students had brought their own mattresses unknowing that the government had also made available free mattresses for them.

Thus, when they were given the government mattresses, they folded and packed them together with their belongings into that dormitory which unfortunately caught fire at midnight today.