Precious D. Freeman
Fire yesterday gutted a three bed-room house at the Redlight block D, Bassa Town community leaving nineteen year old Anthony G. Dahn dead and destroying several properties.
Based on information gathered, the fire started at about 3 A.M. on Monday with the cause of the fire unknown.
According to one of the brothers of the deceased, Archie G. Dahn, he saw the incident when he came home around 5 A.M. after the entire house had been razed to its foundation.
Archie explained that they are three brothers renting in one of the rooms, and normally the deceased and the other boy Bill B. Dahn always sleep at home on Sundays leaving him alone at the house because they normally sleep at the bakery where they get their bread from to sell.
He added that the night before the incident occurred, the deceased and the other brother went on the SKD Sports Complex to witness the game between Nimba and Gbarpolu Counties and after returning from the field the deceased went home to sleep while the other brother went somewhere else.
“We all sell bread at Boulevard Junction to sustain ourselves, and when I got home from selling that night I really wanted to go home but I was feeling very tired not knowing that I wasn’t going to see my brother again,” he explained in tears.
Archie explained that the deceased was attending a trade school called PVTC, and he was studying electricity and that the graduation was supposed to be in March of this year, and that he had already paid half of the graduation fees.
“We all came from the interior very small and there was no one to help us, so we stood by one another, loved one another and even fought for one another, so why will the fire burn only him and leave the two of us to mourn?” he wept.
Speaking further, the land lady Nora Johnson claimed that the house had been in existence since 2012 and pleaded to the government and other well-wishers to help the children because they have suffered a lot.
“I don’t have much to say but I pity these boys because they are always lively together and they all came from Ganta to hustle, eventhough I don’t really know their background, all I can say is that they need help as they have lost everything,” she maintained.
She stated that the deceased was always seen with gas tank because he normally repairs refrigerators, and each time she asked him what he really does he always smiled and said that he can do plenty things.
A guy only identified as Ezekiel who happens to be working in the same bakery explained that the same day of the fire incident; he saw the deceased around 5 A.M. and he shook everybody’s hands, but when he heard the news that somebody had left in the fire he then concluded that it would either be Archie or Bill.
He explained that when he heard that it was Anthony who left in the fire he couldn’t believe it, adding that he has just shook the hand of a ghost.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director for the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and even those that got affected in one way or another.
According to him, the citizens should always be careful of how they use anything that will cause harm to their lives, adding that the partners need to put their response plans together because there is weak link among the partners.
NDMA mentioned that the capacity of the partners needs to be reasonably functional and adequate when it comes to issues about disaster.
“We have to have a meeting with the partners to see how best we can build up these capacities and to coordinate disaster cases,” he said.
However, he is urging all citizens in Liberia to be careful about dangerous objects that are used in the various houses.