By: Peter Agengre
A devastating fire has gutted the Girls’ Hostel of the Zuarungu Nursing and Midwifery Training College in the Upper East Region displacing more than one hundred and twenty students.
The fire started in the early hours of the Monday morning, quickly spreading through the building and consuming students’ belongings. Although no casualty was recorded, the inferno has left the affected students stranded with nowhere to lay their heads.
Some of the students spoke to GBCNews.
“I am a Nigerian and all my things were burnt completely. I wanted to run inside and pick something but they didn’t allow me. All I have now is my phone and what I am wearing now. Maybe, I have to go home and organize myself again” Christy narrated.
“The way some of us suffered by coming here is not easy. I am just confused and do not know what to do now. Even where to sleep today and for the rest of the semester, I don’t know now.” Gloria Asimiga told GBCNews
Officials from the Ghana National Fire Service are yet to establish the cause of the blaze. Even though the officers were able to stop the fire from spreading to the rest of the building, officer in charge of the Bolga Municipal Station DO2 Nibunu Calistus said the rooms got completely burnt before they arrived.
“We are picking pockets of information that can assist us to know the cause of the fire. But when we got here, almost everything was in smoke and belongings completely burnt.” DO2 Nibunu Calistus said.
In the meantime, management engaged the students in a bid to calm them down while appealing for urgent support from government and benevolent organizations. Maurice Mikare is a Programme Head of the school.
“The students are completely down. We need some support in the form of mattresses, blankets, clothes, mosquito nets and anything that relief us from this disaster”.
News of the incident reached the Upper East Regional Coordinating Director Alhaji Mohammed Issahaku who rushed to the scene to assess the situation. He assured management of government’s commitment to restore calm and provide temporary relief. For now, the displaced students are expected to make up with their colleagues and others would be housed temporarily in classrooms while efforts are underway to secure alternative accommodation.
