An investigation conducted by this paper has unearthed that the lack of resources to the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) for the past five months is said to be hampering the smooth operations of the entity, something which led to the death of three children in a fatal fire outbreak recently.
Recently, it was reported that at least three children comprising two boys and a girl died in a tragic fire incident in Cooper Farm, Rehab Community along the Robertsfield Highway in Paynesville.
According to information gathered, the children between the ages of 8, 11 and 17 years old met their untimely demise after a three-bedroom house was gutted by fire within the above mentioned vicinity.
Some eyewitnesses spoken to, attributed the cause of the raging fire to an electrical shock about 11:52 p.m. of Tuesday night; they however accused the Fire Service of contributing to the death of the kids following their alleged refusal to respond timely after being contacted by residents of the community.
“You will not believe that after we called the fire service, they told us that there was no water in all of their fire trucks and if that is to believe, then where are we heading to as a people and country whose lives are to be protected at all times by their government,” bystanders narrated.
But an LNFS official who spoke to this paper on anonymity said that the institution is yet to receive a dime from national government for the sole purpose of purchasing gasoline/fuel oil for fire trucks across the country.
“We have been without gasoline for the trucks at the Fire Service for the past 5 months; water is available, the fire fighters are ready but the Ministry of Finance has deliberately refused to give the entity the money to buy gasoline for the trucks to enable fire fighters respond to fire incidents on time,” our source hinted.
According to the LNFS official, the amount of US$5000 is supposed to be given to the institution for the purchase of gasoline and fuel oil for the water tankers each month, but that had not been done for five months now.
The LNFS official also accused Finance Minister, Samuel Tweah for refusing to approve said amount intended to purchase gasoline and fuel oil for all of the Fire Service tankers across Liberia, revealing, “Yes, the Fire Service did receive a call about the fire outbreak but we could not go on the scene to help because there was no gasoline in the trucks.”
“It is sad that those children died; we were aware of the incident but we did not have gasoline and we don’t even have it now. As I speak also, 5 good months, Minister Tweah has refused to give that money and this is alarming because we will not respond to any fire outbreak as long as we do not have fuel,” he vowed angrily.
