-A young Liberian professional footballer is one of the latest victims
The National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) has expressed concern over the recent wave of fire incidents in the country, some of which have caused deaths and injuries.
The NDMA chronicled a fire incident which occurred in the early morning hours of Friday June 29, 2018 on the Pipeline Road in Paynesville and another reported fire incident in Pleebo, Liberia’s southeastern Maryland County which resulted to the death of a 30-year old visiting international soccer star.
Reports from the area this week said Kwame Brooks, who is said to be playing professional football in India, had gone to bid farewell to his family when their house was gutted by fire, killing him.
“NDMA wishes to urge the general public to be cautious in dealing with flammable materials,” a press release from the National Disaster Management Agency said at the weekend.
The disaster management agency said the source of the Pipeline Road incident is yet to be established but the fire gutted a filling station and an adjacent provision shop, leaving the owner of the filling station severely burnt. The victim is seeking medical treatment at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Monrovia.
As regards the June 28, 2018 fire incident in Pleebo, Maryland County, the disaster agency said the cause of the fire is still unknown but Joseph Kwame Woods, an international footballer, who was visiting his family died in the incident. Family members told the NDMA that Woods was playing football in India but had come to Liberia to see his family.
Prior to the two recent incidents, the Executive Director of the National Disaster Management Agency, Hon. Henry O. Williams told reporters in the port city of Buchanan, that his agency recorded more than six thousand victims of fire, flood and heavy rainstorm incidents from April to June this year.
Mr. Williams said the incidents occurred in nine counties including Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Margibi, Lower Nimba, Bong, Grand Bassa, Maryland and Grand Kru.
He then appealed to government and partners to help build the capacity of the disaster agency to enable it create awareness and respond to such unfortunate situations.