Gbarnga, Bong County — Months after the head of the Liberia National Fire Service detachment in Bong County sounded repeated warnings about the urgent need for a fire truck and a functional fire station in Gbarnga, a devastating fire on Monday evening destroyed major portions of three commercial buildings in the city.
The blaze, which erupted on Broad Street in the center of Gbarnga, engulfed the upper floors of three adjacent business establishments and burned uncontrollably for more than two hours without any professional firefighting intervention.
The affected businesses include Paulma Store, owned by businessman Paul Sarlie, Up Steps Entertainment Center, owned by James Mulbah, and West Africa Enterprise.
The structures are multi-story commercial buildings located in one of the busiest trading areas of the city, where daily business activities attract hundreds of residents and visitors.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Eyewitnesses said the fire started from the upper section of one of the buildings before spreading quickly to the neighbouring structures. Within minutes, flames had consumed large portions of the upper floors, sending thick smoke into the air and forcing business owners, workers, and relatives to rush into the buildings in a desperate attempt to salvage merchandise.
Despite frantic efforts to retrieve goods, much of the property inside the establishments was destroyed as the flames intensified.
The incident has drawn renewed attention to warnings previously issued by Bong County Fire Commander Col. Joseph Paye, who months earlier cautioned that the county remained dangerously exposed to fire disasters because the local fire service lacked both a permanent station and a deployed fire truck.
According to Paye, the absence of a proper fire station has prevented the Liberia National Fire Service from deploying fire engines intended to serve the county. He explained that the deployment of firefighting equipment requires an operational facility capable of housing the trucks and supporting emergency response personnel.
"The trucks cannot be sent where there is no station," Paye said at the time, stressing that the county urgently needed a functional fire station in order to strengthen emergency preparedness.
Despite those warnings, he said repeated appeals to county authorities and national government officials have yet to produce a permanent solution for the fire service detachment in Bong County.
The challenges facing the fire service have been further compounded by an eviction order issued by the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, which recently instructed the fire service to vacate the building it has occupied as an office for nearly a decade.
According to fire service officials, the court intends to renovate the building for judicial use and has given the detachment one week to leave the premises.
The decision effectively leaves the fire service without an operational base in the county.
Commander Paye previously described the situation as devastating, warning that the eviction could cripple the institution's ability to respond to emergencies in Bong County.
"If the court puts us out, where will we have an office, and how will we do the people's job?" he asked.
He explained that the court first notified the fire service in September 2024 about its plans to reclaim the building, citing renovation works that are expected to begin soon.
Since receiving the notice, the fire service has struggled to secure an alternative facility despite appeals to county authorities for assistance.
According to Paye, contractors are expected to begin renovation works on the building, including removing the roof, leaving the detachment with no choice but to relocate.
"If we can't find an office space, you will not see us, because all of us will be at our various homes," he warned.
When the Broad Street fire erupted, residents gathered in large numbers around the scene but had no firefighting equipment capable of containing the flames.
More than fifty bystanders stood helplessly as the fire spread from one building to another, destroying property and threatening nearby structures.
Some residents attempted to extinguish the blaze using bottled water, but their efforts proved ineffective against the rapidly spreading flames.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Police officers later arrived to control the crowd and prevent possible theft, but their presence did little to calm the frustrations of residents who were demanding the presence of the fire service.
Several members of the crowd openly protested the situation as the buildings continued to burn. "We don't need police, we want fire service," some of the residents shouted, expressing anger over the absence of professional firefighters.
For many residents, the incident highlighted what they describe as a dangerous gap in emergency response capacity in one of the country's most populous counties.
The destruction has also sparked renewed criticism of both local and national authorities, with some residents arguing that the disaster might have been reduced or possibly prevented if the fire service had been equipped with a functioning fire truck and a proper station.
Bong County is home to thousands of businesses and residential communities, as well as critical infrastructure linked to the Jungle Energy power grid.
