Capitol Hill, Monrovia – A cloud of thick smoke from the House of Representatives’ wing at the Capitol Building on Tuesday evening sent legislative staffers scrambling in panic, prompting an urgent response from security and fire officials.
The incident reportedly began during the evening hours of December 10, 2024, after members of the House had vacated the premises, leaving only a few legislative staffers, officers of the Liberia National Police, and legislative security personnel behind.
Ben Weah, Deputy Director for Operations of the Legislative Security Service (LSS), told The Liberian Investigator that a female police officer on patrol in the building first alerted security to the presence of smoke.
Weah explained that the security team initially struggled to identify the exact floor from which the smoke originated. Their first attempt to enter the affected area failed due to the intensity of the smoke.
“We ran upstairs but couldn’t determine the main floor, and the thick smoke made it impossible to enter directly. So, we had to gain access through another side,” Weah said. He noted that while the team observed continuous smoke, they did not see any flames.
In an effort to contain the situation, Weah said the team immediately shut down power, including all electrical breakers in the building, but the smoke persisted. This prompted them to call the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) for assistance.
The Liberian Investigator observed that the smoke appeared to be emanating from two panel boxes mounted on a wall near the office of Representative Richard Nagbe Koon of Montserrado County District #11.
Joseph T. Gwah, the Director of Maintenance, attributed the incident to negligence by individuals who failed to switch off air conditioners and other electrical appliances before leaving the building.
“Many people leave their air conditioners on when going home,” Gwah said. He added that the team used fire extinguishers as a temporary measure while awaiting the arrival of the fire service.
Representative Thomas Goshua of Grand Bassa County District #5 was at the Capitol during the incident. He told The Liberian Investigator that he had returned to retrieve materials from his office when he was informed about the situation by police officers.
“The initial indication we received is that it might have been caused by an electrical shock. One of the panel boxes apparently had heavy appliances left on, which could have triggered the incident,” Representative Goshua said.
Goshua called on the House leadership to issue a directive mandating members to turn off all electrical appliances before leaving their offices.
“We don’t want this to be misconstrued or misinterpreted, given the current political tensions where people might think otherwise. But I don’t believe that is the case,” he added.
The Director of the Liberia National Fire Service, Col. G. Warsuwah Barvoul, announced that an investigation would be launched to determine the exact cause of the fire.
“We cannot automatically identify the cause of the fire at this point. It will take time because it’s mostly smoke. As the breeze clears it, we’ll gradually get to the root of the issue,” Barvoul said.
During the investigation, a staff member from Representative Koon’s office opened the door to allow the LNFS team, led by Barvoul and accompanied by police officers, to inspect the area.
“As you stand here, you can still smell the smoke. When we entered the office, we saw and smelled the same,” Col. Barvoul remarked.
Discussion about this post