A fire outbreak in the early hours of Tuesday, December 17, at the Kwashieman Cluster of Schools in Accra destroyed several ballot boxes from the Ablekuma North constituency.

The blaze reportedly started around 1:40 a.m. in the school’s library, which had been temporarily converted into a storage area for ballot boxes following the December 7 general elections. Eyewitnesses living near the school reported seeing thick smoke and flames engulfing the building shortly after the fire began.

The incident comes amidst heightened political tensions surrounding the parliamentary race in the Ablekuma North constituency.

The contest has been one of the most closely watched following disagreements between the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress as to who won the constituency election in the December 7 general elections.

The Electoral Commission (EC) initially declared the seat for the NDC Candidate, Ewurabena Aubynn, but later reversed its decision, calling the declaration illegal.

A re-collation exercise has since been ordered by the EC but the NDC said it is illegal to recollate the results. Both the NPP candidate, Nana Akua Owusu Afriyie, and the NDC’s Ewurabena Aubynn have claimed victory, further intensifying tensions in the constituency.

Security authorities continue to investigate the fire and the circumstances leading to the outbreak.

• Read also: Ewurabena Aubynn flips Ablekuma North for NDC after dramatic collation standoff

It is unclear if the fire incident was deliberately done to undermine the ongoing case in the constituency following the controversies around the declaration of NDC's parliamentary candidate elect.

Speaking to myjoyonline.com, Alex King Nartey of the Public Relations Department of the Ghana National Fire Service, confirmed that the fire started on the ground floor where the ballot papers were kept.

“The fire spread from the library to other floors, but our utmost priority was to ensure it didn’t spread to adjoining buildings. Our men got to the scene quickly and worked hard to contain it,” he said.

Mr Nartey added that investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire.

“Officers from Anyaa, Headquarters, and Circle worked together to ensure that the situation was brought under control,” he added.

Mr Nartey also revealed that police officers reported tensions at the scene, as a group of irate youths had gathered near the premises.

Some of the youths were allegedly making claims that they intended to carry away the ballot boxes. Officers suspect that someone may have slipped into the building unnoticed. Additionally, a resident claimed to have seen three young men loitering suspiciously near the school before the fire started.

When myjoyonline arrived at the scene, students and teachers were seen stranded outside the school premises. The fire has disrupted academic activities, as students were scheduled to continue writing their end-of-term exams on Tuesday.

The teachers said the exams were originally expected to finish Wednesday and then the School vacates by Thursday, but the fire has left the situation uncertain. School authorities have yet to confirm when classes and exams would resume.