By Moses M. Tokpah, mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- A local moringa noleifera processing plant, a smoked sheet rubber storage facilities and a generator house owned and operated by the Bright Rubber Plantation has been gutted by in Margibi County, leaving more than US$150,000.00 worth of properties destroyed.
Our reporter who visited the scene of the incident discovered that the fire caused some substantial destruction to the multi-purpose building accommodating the moringa noleifera processing plant, smoked sheet rubber storage and generators sites.
Mr. John M. Tokpah, the Administrator of the Bright Rubber Plantation told our reporter on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 that two 25-KVA lister petter engine generators, one super-gari mail, one electrical drying oven, one slicer and 10 metric tons of processed rubber were all destroyed in the fire.
According to him, at about 10 PM on Monday, the plantation’s security officers while on guard at the main factory heard a loud sound like the bursting of tyres and they immediately rushed on the scene only to note that the fire has taken over the entire building.
Mr. Tokpah said the building did not have electricity at the time as the two generators that are placed there were completely off.
He further said there has not been any misunderstanding between the management and workers of the Company, adding that the problem that existed before was resolved long since.
He noted that when the incident took place, men from the area tried to quench the fire but their effort did not materialize. Additionally, John M. Tokpah averred that while they were trying to quench the fire; they saw another fire that destroyed rubber trees covering one acre of land.
The Bright Rubber Plantation’s Administrator said this is the first time that the Company has experienced fire outbreak of such nature especially, the one that destroyed valuable properties. He mentioned that the fire incident has put about 150 persons jobs at risk.
He then said his bosses are working behind the scene to ensure that the building is reconstructed after the investigation so as to have the one hundred and fifty persons jobs secured. Though he did not state when the investigation will be over.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tokpah has revealed that the Bright Rubber Plantation’s management has got the security involved in order to launch an investigation to be able to establish the root cause of the fire incident.
Mr. Tokpah, however, craved the assistance of the Liberian Government in order to restore the facilities.