By: Murtala Issah
Two students escaped unhurt when an eighteen-bedroom private student hostel at the University for Development Studies (UDS) was gutted by fire on Thursday.
Eyewitnesses said, it took Personnel of the Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service, nearly 30 minutes to arrive at the scene and could do very little to save the house.
Most occupants of the hostel are on break and we’re not present during the fire disaster. This is the second major fire disaster in the Northern regional capital in less than two weeks.
The Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service says inappropriate building designs and poor electrical installations are to blame for these spate of fire outbreaks.
When GBC News Correspondent arrived at the scene of the disaster, the owners of the Hostel, had brought in Carpenters to salvage some roofing sheets left on the building.
A motorbike, some mattresses, gallons and books were among the items destroyed.
The Landlord, Faisal Seidu, narrated the incident.
”There were only two students in the house when the incident occurred, the rest are on holidays”, he noted.
The Northern Regional Command of the Ghana National Fire Service said they were called in late, and it took personnel of the fire service about fourteen minutes to get to the house.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the National Fire Service in, ADO2, Baba Hudu, the design of the building and the presence LPG gas in some rooms, worsened the situation.
“A friend of one of the occupants of the room cooked yam and forgot to attend to it. Because they are students, most of the rooms have cylinders with LPG, in addition, the rooms have no gabel to stop the fire from spreading to other rooms,” he explained.
Tamale has recorded some serious domestic fire disasters this year. The Regional Fire Service is therefore appealing to the public to be extra vigilant at home and use professionals in constructing their homes.
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