Fire Razes Hostel Room at UG After Student Leaves Iron on While Attending Lectures

• A room in Jean Nelson Aka Hostel was ravaged by flames at midday on Thursday after a student allegedly left an iron plugged in while attending lectures
• Similar fire outbreaks occurred in 2017 at the UG Medical School hostel and in February 2025 at the PDMSD building near Bush Canteen
• Social media users expressed frustration and concern over student negligence, questioning the lack of internal safety checks in the hostels

A fire outbreak occurred at the University of Ghana (UG) on Thursday, May 29, after a student reportedly left his iron plugged in while attending lectures.

A video circulating online shows much of the room engulfed in flames. The beds were reduced to ash, a student’s laptop on a reading table destroyed by fire, and the walls and ceiling darkened by soot.

Thankfully, the fire did not spread to other rooms in the hostel before the fire service arrived to handle the situation. No students were caught in the blaze before it was subdued.

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Watch the video of the gutted hostel room at the university:

Similar fire outbreak at UG campus

This is not the first time a fire outbreak has been reported at the University of Ghana.

In 2017, the University of Ghana Medical School's students' hostel suffered a similar fate when the female wing of 'B' Block was completely destroyed by an unforeseen cause, resulting in significant property loss and student displacement.

Reports indicate that the total cost of renovation back then amounted to GH¢98,849.40.

Similarly, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, a fire broke out at the Physical Development and Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD), beside the Bush Canteen market on the university campus.

The fire destroyed several refrigerators and AC units and affected a small portion of offices belonging to the school's Fire Service Department.

Reactions to University of Ghana fire outbreak

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Many Ghanaians, students, parents, and members of various associations reacted to the incident by sharing their thoughts and opinions in the comment section after media outlets reported on the development.

@BlaqXcellency questioned:

"How can you forget to turn off an iron?"

@JefferyAnkamah commented:

"Ah!!! How do you carry your brain to lectures and leave your sense of responsibility in the room? This is how someone burns a hostel and still shows up for exams like nothing happened. Some degrees should come with a fire extinguisher."

akuaampoh wrote:

"OMG! Doesn't the hostel have interior security? One who will be checking unplugged sockets and all that. Every public place needs interior security tf....."

Fire guts Vision, Maaha beach resorts

YEN.com.gh had earlier reported that a fire outbreak gutted parts of Maaha Beach Resort in the Ellembelle District, Western Region, after spreading from the nearby Vision Beach Resort.

The blaze, which reportedly began in Vision Beach's kitchen around 7 p.m., destroyed several beachfront structures.

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According to Ellembelle District Fire Commander DO2 Mark Hamilton, 18 rooms at Maaha Resort were lost in the fire.

Firefighters from the Atuabo Gas Processing Plant struggled to contain the flames due to the chemical nature of their equipment, but the blaze was eventually brought under control.

Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh