On Thursday night, a devastating fire destroyed a three-storey accommodation facility known as “Father Hostel” at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but it has caused severe damage to the building, which served as a hostel for students.
At least nine rooms have been reduced to rubble, leaving the victims devastated and students in adjacent buildings frightened. Fortunately, no casualties were reported. However, at least nine students have lost all their belongings to the flames, leaving them without a place to stay. Victims recounted that the fire started in a single room before it quickly spread throughout the building, consuming their valuables within minutes.
Eyewitnesses noted that the KNUST Fire Department’s emergency number was initially unreachable, causing a delay of 30 minutes before they could respond to the incident. The remaining portion of the building is deemed uninhabitable due to significant structural damage.
In response, the KNUST Students’ Representative Council (SRC) has arranged temporary accommodation for the affected students at the SRC hostel. The council is also urging all students to adhere to safety protocols to prevent such incidents in the future.
