Freetown, April 12 — A major fire outbreak at Sierra Leone’s State House in Freetown has reportedly destroyed several offices, including those belonging to Presidential Secretary Yusuf Keketoma Sandi and Chairman of the Energy Governance Coordination Group, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella.
The blaze, which began around 4:00 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the West Wing, quickly spread to the 3rd Floor, engulfing the offices of two senior government officials. The fire was brought under control after nearly four hours of intense firefighting.
“Keketoma Sandi and Kandeh Yumkella’s offices have both been burnt completely. NOTHING survived,” revealed prominent media personality and politician Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden in a post shared on social media.
Dr. Blyden added that while the destruction was extensive, the Office of the Secretary to the President, also located on the 3rd Floor, was spared.
“Thankfully, firefighters saved that particular office from the fire reaching there. So president’s documents at SP’s office are safe. However, both Yumkella & Keketoma’s offices are completely destroyed,” she stated.
She declined to comment on the status of financial records located on another floor, saying, “Don’t ask me about the status of the Accounts and Finance documents… I don’t know. But inclination is that…”
BBC’s Sierra Leone correspondent Umaru Fofana also reported from the scene.
“After nearly four hours, fire fighters have put out the inferno at State House. Considerable parts of the third and fourth floors have been damaged,” he posted online.
He quoted energy officials, including Dr. Yumkella, as saying their initial assessment indicated they were not at fault. “Further investigations are to be opened and the full damage will, obviously, be assessed,” Fofana noted.
The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, confirmed the incident in a public statement, emphasizing that the Office of the President on the 2nd Floor remains unaffected.
Emergency services, including the National Fire Force, Sierra Leone Police, and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, responded promptly. As of 7:30 p.m., firefighting operations had contained the blaze, and efforts were ongoing to prevent further spread.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, and authorities have urged the public to remain calm and await official updates.
This devastating incident at the seat of the Presidency comes just a day after another fire gutted the newborn unit of a hospital in Makeni, which was blamed on electrical issues.
