Last month’s fire incident which claimed the lives of 28 Liberians, mostly children, was caused by an electrical shock from a generator that was the source of electricity to the building, the Director of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS),Colonel Alex Dickson said.
On Wednesday, September 18, a total of 28 Liberians, mostly kids, died in the tragic incident at a Qur’anic school in Bassa Town Community in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville.
Addressing a press conference Monday at the headquarters of the LNFS in Monrovia, Director Dickson stated that on the night of the incident, the fire service received a call from Police Commander Victor Chilay, and the LNFS team arrived on the scene by 1:02 a.m..
He pointed out that the structure engulfed by the flames was built in 1999, and that from the investigation of the agency the building was constructed with substandard materials.
According to Dickson, the school building had the capacity to host about 46 persons, but that the total number of students residing in the building at the time of the mishap was 35 students and their teachers.
Dickson explained that on the night of the fire outbreak 31 of the 35 residents on the campus were and that out of that number 15 persons survived.
He said the probe found that the fire started in the roof of the building and that there was a motorbike in the corridor that had gasoline in it.
Dickson explained that after the students noticed that there was fire in the roof of the building, they all fled to the back of the house where there was no exit, explaining further that the house had one entrance.
He said it took about ten minutes for the fire to regenerate and in 50 minutes the firemen received the call, but that upon their arrival on the scene, the entire building was already engulfed by the fire.
The Fire Service boss emphasized that the students who survived, acted fast when they discovered the smoke in the first room with the fire on the two sides of the entrance, they went to the back of the building.
“They ran through the fire and were burned severely, but because of their bravery they saved their lives,” Col. Dickson narrated.
He revealed that evidences were sent both to the United States and Ghana for review before coming up with the final findings, stating that after a week-long investigation they discovered that the cause of the fire was electrical shock.
Dickson noted that the supplier of the current was one Mr Fredrick K. Brown and the generator being used was 30kva.
President George Mannah Weah upon receiving news of the fire incident visited the bereaved families and expressed his government’s sympathy, and promised action.
TSS/as/APA