By Augustine Octavius
The house that former South African icon and President Nelson Mandela lived while in Liberia during the liberation struggle was gutted by fire over the weekend in Monrovia’s eastern Congo Town Suburb.
Thousands of United States Dollars damaged was caused by the fire that has left over 15 people occupying the four-bedroom homeless.
Owned by the late Liberian Foreign Minister T. Ernest Eastman, the house was constructed in the early 50s. It was used by the late President William V S Tubman to host former South African President Nelson Mandela when he was staying in Liberia.
Speaking in an interview with our reporter, the grandson of Mr. Eastman said they were all sitting at the front of small shop in the front of the building when a little shouted about fire in building.
He narrated that when they got in the building, the fire has already taken over the kitchen; adding: “it was at the time, his father started pouring water on building but no avail”.
Mason explained that they tried opening the fire extinguisher but could not because they all have never opened it purposely to use or try it.
Commenting on the damages, Mason informed this paper that 20,000 Liberian Dollars belonging to a school that his wife is serving as a registrar ,was burnt .
According to him, his mother was also having a good sum of money that the children sent her from abroad that she has been keeping
Asked about efforts to quench the fire, he replied that they called the fire service bureau number and until www.newspublictrust.com got there, there was no response from them.