-Cause of fire unknown
The evening hours of Sunday, April 14, 2024, were undoubtedly awkward for the Speaker of the 55th Legislature of the Republic of Liberia, as a result of an unexpected fire that broke out at his residential home along the Robert Field Highway, which led to its destruction.
Eyewitnesses at the scene confirmed that the fire started shortly after the return of power by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to the facility. Despite the swift response by firefighters from the Liberia National Fire Service, who arrived at the scene within thirty minutes of the fire starting, the blaze quickly escalated, engulfing the entire compound.
Tragically, no casualties have been reported thus far, but the extent of the damage to the Speaker’s residence is substantial. Reports indicate that the firefighters faced challenges in combating the flames due to a shortage of water supply. This exacerbated the situation and allowed the fire to spread rapidly.
This incident is part of a concerning trend of fire disasters that have plagued Liberia in recent months. The frequency of such incidents has raised questions about the preparedness and resources available to respond effectively to emergencies of this nature. Authorities and the public alike are calling for increased measures to prevent and address fire emergencies to protect lives and property across the country.
Though the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS) has not provided a report about the different incidents that previously occurred, WomenVoices earlier gathered that between January 11. 2024, to March 4, 2024, the country experienced at least seven disastrous fire incidents in Montserrado County alone. This has made many believe that the West African nation is possibly experiencing a fire crisis and there’s a crucial need for swift remedy.
The issue of homes being gutted by fire is not a strange thing in Liberia but some Liberians say it‘s becoming alarming, as it now happens simultaneously. Though in some instances it has been attributed to electric power, at some places dwellers said they never had current at the same the incidents took place. Even though the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS)intervened in some of these incidents, the entity has yet to come up with a report as to what exactly led to the different incidents.
Worse of all, for all the fire incidents that have occurred so far, except for those residents who were fortunate to have fled death by themselves, they lost all their homes and valuable belongings. This was either because the Liberia Nations Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS) didn’t arrive on the scene in time, or they didn’t do much to protest the properties.
On January 11, 2024, a terrible fire incident occurred in Caldwell, Benson Street at the residence of Mr. Moses Sneh. The incident led to the death of his two (2) kids.
Simultaneously, late January 12, 2024, a zinc apartment gutted fire on Karpeh Street in New Kru Town. The situation resulted in the instant death of three persons. (A woman and her two children). On February 8, 2024, Montserrado County Senator Saah Joseph narrowly escaped death when his home in Congo Town was gutted by fire. He and other occupants of the house were left stranded as the fire engulfed the building.
Senator Joseph was not the only resident in Congo Town whose property was destroyed. A few blocks away up London Hill, Elvis A. Tamba’s three-bedroom house was also burned. Tamba said he woke up in the middle of the night and began to smell burned rubber, and when he came out of the room to look, half of his house was in flames.
“I walked through the fire using my hands to open the iron gate. As a welder, I know what parts of these doors can easily be opened, but in the heat, it was difficult. I did all I could do to save myself and my siblings who were with me,” said Tamba as he explained his ordeal showing his hands battered with bruises and blisters from the fire burn. Tamba, an entrepreneur is the president of Graceland Group of Company and vice president of the Liberia Welding Society Union.
On February 16, 2024, the home of a single mother who had gone to fetch her daily bread was gutted by fire during the early hours In Omega, Redhill Community, Paynesville.
The single mother who lost her husband a year ago, also tragically lost her home to the violent fire without taking any of her belongings. The incident left the family in a vulnerable position, seeking help from the public.
On February 21, 2024, five persons died in a fire incident in Duport Road, District #4, Montserrado County. According to the community dwellers, the five persons included Jennifer Johnson (37 yrs), Pauline Myers (26 yrs), Eleazar P. Zamerzar (16 yrs), Cecelia Fallah (11 yrs) Alexander Johnson (4 yrs). Unfortunately, the cause of the fire is still unknown.
Again on February 28, 2024, another home fell prey to the fire crisis in Paco Island, Congo Town. OK FM Julius Jeh reported: “Somewhere in the distance from where I am standing, another building is on fire right now. I had to zoom my phone camera 10x to get this shot.
As much as we try to take all of the precautions, the rate at which these fire incidents are occurring is alarming.”
Less than four days following Jeh’s report, another fire incident occurred on Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Barnesville, Kebbah, where a seven-bedroom home burned completely. Fortunately, it didn’t result in any death.
As the night of Sunday placed Kebbah’s fire incident in the past, it took just a few hours for another horrific experience, as an aggressive fire ravaged a School and a worship center along Tubman Boulevard in Sinkor, on Monday, March 4, 2024. The Apostolic Foundation High School and the Fire for Fire International Ministries were gutted on Fire during the early afternoon hours.
The incident took place just when hundreds of students were still in school in the facility. The cause of the fire is still unknown but some eyewitnesses pointed fingers at the Liberia Electricity Corporation which has been a major source of fire disaster recently.
Liberians feel unsafe
Since the news of the fire incidents became an everyday story in Liberia, many Liberians have been troubled about the situation. This has prompted different safety recommendations, either to prevent the disaster or escape for safety if it happens.
Many believe that some of these incidents have been triggered by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC), especially during the return of power supply. Interestingly, many attested to this in the case of Speaker Koffa.
