The Ministry of Transport was on Monday, January 8, 2024 gutted by fire, reportedly leaving several documents destroyed and affecting the Motor/Vehicle and Driver License divisions.
The fire reportedly engulfed the building at around 1:00 a.m. Monday morning from the basement, allegedly due to electrical fault.
The Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service (LNFRS) later intervened and quenched the fire, and is said to have launched an investigation into the matter to know the actual cause of fire.
Speaking to the Director of the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFRS), Col. Alex Dickson, he confirmed that his team has launched a preliminary investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the fire. He reluctantly declined to speak to the matter, and said until the LNFRS can conclude its findings he would not hastily make any comment.
The Ministry of Transport is housed in the old Central Bank of Liberia, a two-storey building at the intersection Carey and Warren streets.
Speaking to the Deputy Minister of Transport for Lands and Rails, J. Darious Kollie, he said he received a call early Monday morning informing him that the ministry had been gutted by fire. He disclosed that the Motor Vehicle and Driver License sections were affected, and may retard operation there for two to three working days.
However, he informed the Hot Pepper that the ministry had established an operation site at the Ministerial Complex, Congo Town, that handles driver license and license plate matters, and that the site will remain functional until the situation is resolved at the ministry.
But critics are beginning to speculate that the fire incident was not natural, but was orchestrated to damage or destroy certain files from the ministry in order for the ministry not to be hooked in the audits being proposed by the in-coming administration.
They accused the Minister of Transport, Samuel Wlue, of “knowing a lot” about the ministry, as he has been the head of the ministry since the administration of former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
They called on the Liberia National Fire and Rescue Service to thoroughly investigate the incident, and to leave no stone unturned in making sure that the investigation reaches a logical conclusion, and the factual report published to the public.
