The Director of the Liberia National Fire & Rescue Service (LNFRS), Col. Alex K. Dickson, has officially released the report of the fire incident that occurred at the residence of the Unity Party Chairman, Rev. Luther Tarpeh, on August 12, 2022.
According to the report, the fire started from the boys quarter and onward to Rev. Tarpeh’s house.
Releasing the report at the Ministry of Information press briefing on Friday, August 26, 2022, Col. Dickson said, “The fire investigators observed, inquired and confirmed that a three bed-room structure, owned by Rev. J. Luther Tarpeh and used as boys’ quarters, was totally destroyed by the fire with all its contents; no break-in was observed around the entire fence.; the entire compound is fenced in, so nobody can enter anywhere except through the main entrance; Alex Railey, the security officer, was awake and well posted; the height of the fence is 9ft or 108 inches with broken glasses installed on top; and the distance between the fence and the house is 17ft.”
According to the report, the fire incident occurred on August 12, 2022 and was caused by an overheated extension cord, which was not unplugged after use.
The report quoted Aaron Nimely Paye, one of Rev. Tarpeh’s son, as saying, “I usually switch power by 11:00 or 11:30 p.m., but that night I over slept because I was too tired. I heard Rev. Tarpeh knocking at my window. I woke up and went out. He told me to switch power. When I was going to switch power, I heard Raily saying, ‘I smelling something burning.’ So, I went to the power house and switch from the gasoline generator to the diesel generator. When I came back, myself smelt something burning. So, I decided to find out where the smell was coming from. I used the kitchen door to enter the house, because the front door was locked. When I went in, I saw heavy smoke in the living room and fire blazing at the window. I shouted fire in the house!
“I went to the next room and told my brothers to get out. We got out and left Nathaniel Tarpeh there because he was in the other room sleeping. I went back in and helped him to get out and the neighbors came to help but the fire had already developed. We called fire service for help but they never came.”
According to Paye’s explanation to the fire investigators, “Electricity is supplied in the compound by three power sources: solar panel, generator and LEC. But LEC power has not been supplied for the past few weeks.
“When the fire started, two vehicles were parked in the garage. The one that was close to the fence was saved (driven away by the owner), but the one near the house burnt completely.”
The report classified the fire as “Class C”, and nullified the allegation of the fire being caused by a petrol bomb. “Had it been a petrol bomb used, it would have landed on the roof of the garage or on the roof of the house. Mr. Alex Railey, the security, who was awake and well posted, would have seen the flame since it is lighted before being thrown or heard the sound on the zinc. And if it was a petrol bomb, the fire would be observed on the roof of the garage or the house; instead, he smelt something burning. This means that something was burning gradually,” the fire incident report noted. Meanwhile, the Director of the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS), Col. Alex K. Dickson, has cautioned the general public to Always unplug their appliances, electronics, extension cords, etc. when they are not being used, as doing so can “help protect you from shock or fire while also prolonging the life of the cord itself by reducing heat buildup”.
FIRE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT
Date of Incident: August 12, 2022
Time of Incident: 0100hrs
Cause of Incident: OVERHEATED EXTENSION CORD
Class of Fire Incident: CLASS “C”
Location: REHAB COMMUNITY, PAYNESVILLE
Name of Occupant/Owner: REV. J. LUTHER TARPEH
Nature of Occupancy: RESIDENTIAL
Injury: Nathaniel Tarpeh
Estimated Loss: PENDING SUBMISSION BY OWNER
INVESTIGATOR’S OBSERVATIONS/INQUIRY
The Fire Investigator observed, inquired and confirmed the following:
➢ A three bed-room structure owned by Rev. J. Luther Tarpeh that was being
used as boys’ quarters was totally destroyed by fire with all its contents.
➢ No break-in was observed around the entire fence.
➢ The entire compound is fenced in, so nobody can enter anywhere except
through the main entrance.
➢ Mr. Alex Railey, the security officer, was awake and well posted.
➢ The height of the fence is 9ft or 108inches with broken glasses installed on
top.
➢ The distance between the fence and the house is 17ft.
Mr. Alex Railey’s Account
“At 1:00am, Rev. Tarpeh came out to ask Aaron Nimely Paye to switch power. I
walked there, but when I was approaching the house, I smelt something burning
like rubber. So, I said something burning oh. Aaron went to switch power. When
he came back, he said oh I’m smelling something burning too”.
Mr. Aaron Nimely Paye’s Account
“I usually switch power b y 11:00 or 11:30pm but that night, I over slept because
I was too tired. I heard Rev. Tarpeh knocking at my window. I woke up and went
out. He told me to switch power. When I was going to switch power, I heard Raily
saying I smelling something burning. So, I went to the power house and switched
from the gasoline generator to the diesel generator. When I came back, myself
smelt something burning. So, I decided to find out where the smell was coming
from. I used the kitchen door to enter the house, because the front door was
locked. When I went in, I saw heavy smoke in the living room and fire blazing at
the window. I shouted fire in the house! I went to the next room and told my
brothers to get out. We got out and left Nathaniel Tarpeh there because he was in
the other room sleeping. I went back in and helped him to get out, and the
neighbors too came to help but the fire had already developed. We called fire service
for help but they never came”.
➢ Electricity is being supplied in the compound by three power sources: solar
panel, generator and LEC. But LEC power has not been supplied for the
past few weeks.
➢ When the fire started, two vehicles were parked in the garage. The one that
was close to the fence was saved (driven away by the owner) but the one
near the house burnt completely.
INVESTIGATOR’S REMARKS/ANALYSIS
➢ There was no break-in observed around the entire fence.
➢ A petrol bomb or Molotov cocktail is a single bomb made from a bottle
filed with gasoline and stuffed with a piece of cloth that is lit just before
the bottle is thrown.
➢ Had it been a petrol bomb used, it would have landed on the roof of the
garage or on the roof of the house.
➢ Mr. Alex Railey, the security, who was awake and well posted would have
seen the flame since it is lighted before being thrown or heard the sound
on the zinc.
➢ If it was petrol bomb, the fire would be observed on the roof of the garage
or the house, instead, he smelt something burning. This means that
something was burning gradually.
➢ It is always advisable to unplug your extension cords when they aren’t
being used.
➢ Unplugging your extension cord will help protect you from shock or fire
while also prolonging the life of the cord itself by reducing heat buildup.
➢ Extension cord can overheat and cause fire when used improperly.
➢ In this case, the extension cord in Rev. Luther Tarpeh’s living room left
plugged into the wall outlet causing it to OVERHEAT, then fire starts.
ADMINISTRATIVE CONCLUSION
Having interviewed MR. AARON NIMELY PAYE, one of Rev. Luther Tarpeh’s
sons, and ALEX RAILEY, the security officer, analyzed the clues gathered, the
Investigator from the Liberia National Fire Service concluded in his best opinion
that the cause of fire is as the result of an OVERHEATED EXTENSION CORD
that was not unplugged after use.
CAUTION: Always unplug your appliances, electronics, extension cords and
etc. when they are not being used.
Respectively submitted,
Ltc. Moses D. Kollie
Deputy Chief Fire Investigator
Approved:___________
Hon. Alex K. Dickson
DIRECTOR
LNFS/MOJ/R.L.