A major fire disaster engulfed the 0508 community on Friday, August 13, 2021, destroying many Liberian and foreign businesses, as well as affecting a number of its residents. The residents of 0508 community, which comprises of parts of Buchanan Street, Front Street and Water Street, have squarely blamed Montserrado County’s district #7 Representative, Solomon C. George, for the damage due to his refusal to live up to his promise of repairing the pillars and steel rods of the bridge on which the fuel tanker passed over to fall underneath, somersaulting and landing on rocks, consequently splashing the fuel all over and setting the community ablaze.
According to the residents, the community wrote Representative George in early 2017 (four years ago), appealing to him to repair the concrete pillars and steel rods of the bridge, in order to save vehicles and passersby from slipping into the deep opening and save the community from catastrophes such as the one that occurred on Friday.
They explained to the Hot Pepper that Representative George consented to repairing the bridge, but turned out to be a political promise as the general and presidential elections were drawing closer. Since then, they said, the bridge has remained in bad condition with rusty steels, lying there as a death trap to anyone who would make the least mistake.
The Acting Youth Chairman of the community, Albert Reeves, told the Hot Pepper that, if Representative George had lived up to his promise of renovating the bridge, the damage caused by the tanker would have been minimum, if not curtailed.
Reeves said if the bridge was reconditioned, the concrete or the steels could have stopped the tanker from falling and the misfortune of exploding and burning houses and properties would have been prevented.
Side speakers accused Representative George of recently receiving US$30,000 as legislative engagement incentive, but could not even use a thousand dollars of the amount to rescue the community, and he expect them to stand in queues come 2023 to vote for him again. “Our lawmaker is wicked and greedy…but wait, 2023 is coming; he will come to us again,” a youth of the community, who soliloquized, murmured in anger.
The Hot Pepper is still exerting efforts to have Representative George respond to the allegation levied against him.
At about 5:00—6:00 p.m. on Friday, August 13, 2021, one of Hot Pepper’s reporters, who was around the Centennial Pavilion, observed a fuel tanker, belonging to Aminata Gas Station, rolling down the little hill from Buchanan and Ashmun streets’ intersection toward the Buchanan and Front streets’ intersection. The driver, and others in the front seat of the tanker, jumped out, apparently due to their applying all effort to stop the vehicle but to no avail.
The tanker, with no one on board, sloped down the hill and slipped into an opening at the Buchanan and Front streets’ intersection, falling from the curved bridge into the opening that leads down to the old Lofa parking, blazing in flames. With fuel in the tanker, the fire quickly engulfed the nearby house and spread onward to nearby properties and businesses, with business owners, residents, pedestrians and others running here and there for help.
While some made effort to contact the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) station, which has a branch on Ashmun and Gurley streets’ intersection, about three blocks from the fire incident, others immediately fetched water and started fighting the fire, hoping that the LNFS fire fighters would arrive soon.
The fire blazed for several minutes before the LNFS fighters arrived, leaving the houses adjacent the tanker completely burned. The Hot Pepper was informed that a lady living in one of the burned houses sustained injury from the fire and, unfortunately, could not rescue anything from her house.
Speaking later on a radio station, the Director of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), Alex Dickson, said the disaster affected over ten stores and residential places. The LNFS Director told journalists that he regrets the incident, especially the manner in which it affected hundreds of businessmen and women. The fire incident, according to him, was handled after immense effort from the fire fighters.
According to information, the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) responded to the call with a tanker from the Stephen Tolbert Estate after recognizing that the Ashmun Street station was out of tankers. Reliable information from the fire service station says there was no death in the incident.
Meanwhile, the management of Aminata and Sons Incorporated says it regrets to inform the general public that a truck carrying the emblem of, and contracted by Aminata and Sons Inc., carrying its petroleum products, accidentally fell off at the intersection of Buchanan and Front Streets and went down the ditch to Water Street on Friday, August 13, 2021, and led to a huge fire outbreak and the loss of several properties, as well as causing injuries to many.
In a press statement issued Sunday, August 15, 2021, Aminata and Sons Inc. said, “We sincerely regret the incident and would like to assure the general public that the insurance covering the truck was informed in time about the accident and is actively working with the Liberia National Police, and the matter is being handled.
“We will continue to engage all parties (the insurance company, the police, the owner of the truck and the victims) to bring an amicable solution, and we will continue to keep the public informed. “Meanwhile, we would like to thank the government of Liberia through the Fire Service Agency for its timely response, the Liberia National Police, the Monrovia City Corporation and all relevant actors who were involved in responding to the incident and protecting the lives and properties of people involved.”