Education

Faulty electrical wiring causing fire outbreaks in SHS – NADMO

FAULTY electrical wirings have been the cause of most fire outbreaks in senior high school dormitories, according to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO).

“Once the buildings are put up, they do not undergo any form of maintenance and that is a constant danger,” said Mr Divine Bosson, Volta Regional Director of NADMO.

He made the remarks in a chat with the Ghanaian Times last week, after the organisation presented relief items including 50 mattresses, roofing sheets and a large consignment of cups to the Kadjebi-Asato Senior High School (SHS).

Fire gutted the box room of one of the two female dormitories of the school on March 21, at about 7.30 a.m.  and destroyed chop boxes, rubber buckets and mattresses belonging to the students. No injuries were reported.

According to the Assistant Headmaster of the School, Mr George Bekoe, some students outside rushed back into the dormitory to retrieve personal belongings, “although we tried to restrain them.”

He said that personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) acted swiftly to put out the fire, adding that the cause of the fire was not immediately established, “but we suspect it was caused by an electrical fault.”

According to him, there were episodes of power fluctuation prior to the fire outbreak.

Mr Bekoe gave the assurance that the incident did not disrupt classes at the school which had an enrolment of 2,039, because the damage was limited to the box room.

Still on maintenance, the Volta Regional Director of NADMO who is also responsible for the Oti Region said that some school buildings, including dormitory blocks had not undergone any maintenance for more than a decade.

Clearly, Mr Bosson said some of the electrical wires in the dormitories needed to be replaced saying “It is high time we adopted and implemented the culture of maintenance to support our development cause.”


FROM ALBERTO MARIO NORETTI, HO

Show More
Back to top button