Sunyani Magistrate Court loses all case files and equipment in fire outbreak

Nii Ayitey Brown 17:30 - 26 April 2026

Image of burnt Magistrate Court

A fire has destroyed two magistrate courts in Sunyani, wiping out all case files and equipment. The incident has disrupted judicial work and sparked calls for digitisation of court records.

A fire outbreak destroyed District Magistrate Courts ‘A’ and ‘B’ in Sunyani, burning all case files, computers, and equipment with nothing salvaged.
Firefighters from the Ghana National Fire Service battled the blaze but faced water shortages, dry hydrants, and a mechanical fault.
The incident has disrupted court operations and renewed calls for digitising judicial records as investigations into the cause continue.

An early-morning fire on Sunday, April 26, completely destroyed District Magistrate Courts ‘A’ and ‘B’ in Sunyani in the Bono Region, wiping out critical judicial records and infrastructure.

The blaze razed the court buildings, destroying documents, computers, furniture, air-conditioning units, and wooden structures, leaving nothing salvageable.

The extent of the damage is likely expected to significantly affect the court operations, as vital case files and administrative records have been lost.

Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) in Sunyani, responded to the incident after being allegedly alerted by a passerby.

🚨 BREAKING: Fire outbreak reported at the District Magistrate Court “B” in Sunyani.

Firefighters from the Sunyani Municipal Fire Service and the Regional Headquarters are currently on site battling the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time pic.twitter.com/JqTfM3MMPK
— THE AGYEKUM (@The_Agyekum) April 26, 2026

However, firefighters reportedly faced major challenges, including water shortages, non-functional hydrants, and a mechanical fault with one of the fire tenders, which delayed efforts to contain the blaze.

Despite the setbacks, fire crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures, and no casualties were recorded.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, with investigations currently underway. Multiple possibilities are being examined, including electrical faults.

The destruction of court records in Sunyani re-echo the digitisation of Ghana’s judicial system. Some argue that transitioning to electronic record-keeping could help safeguard critical documents against such disasters.

The Ghana National Fire Service has, in previous reports, highlighted challenges such as inadequate water supply systems and limited firefighting resources as key constraints in emergency response.

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