Police in the Northern Region are investigating a case of suspected arson at the St Charles Senior High School to bring closure to the several fire outbreaks that have occurred at the school since 2016.

The school has recorded over five fire outbreaks in the past five years with three incidences between May and September this year.

Several properties have been damaged in these fires including; dormitories blocks, offices, stores, student mattresses, books, clothes among other properties.

Two students of the school have been questioned in connection with the recent fires while samples of a substance suspected to have been used to cause the fires, has been submitted to the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) for testing.

Speaking to JoyNews, the Northern Regional Crime Officer Superintendent Bernard Baba Ananga said, the Assistant Headmaster of the school brought in two juveniles who had in their possession, a mattress soaked in a substance believed to be petrol and matches, which they suspect is meant to be used to set fire.

”The Assistant Headmaster of the school brought in two students with a report that they were seen in the dormitory with matches and tissue and one of the juveniles was closer to a particular mattress allegedly soaked with petrol which they suspect the juvenile wanted to set on fire,” he said

Superintendent Ananga said the mattress was recovered by the police and forwarded to the Police CID headquarters and subsequently sent to the GSA for further analysis.

“We actually retrieved the mattress and forwarded to the CID Headquarters and to the Ghana Standards Authority to do some analysis for us to find out if indeed the mattress was soaked with petrol or other chemicals,” he said.

Superintendent Ananga said the two were questioned in the presence of their families.

He said what the Police are looking out for are links to the beginning of the fires in 2016 and the recent ones as well as if these fires were deliberately caused by are arsonists.

“This child was questioned for this particular period but the question we continue to ask is what about the previous years, could it be the same person who continued up to this period or the same person recruiting people to cause this kind of destruction,” Superintendent Ananga explained.

He said while they wait to receive the report from the GSA, investigations are underway.