Published: July 21, 2026
The deteriorating building now housing the Liberia National Fire Service detachment in Bong County.
GBARNGA, Bong County – Bong County went roughly five months without a fully functioning fire service after the Liberia National Fire Service detachment was evicted from a court property, and the building the agency now occupies is so badly deteriorated that contractors estimate it will cost more than US$20,000 to make it fit for use.
Bong County Fire Commander Col. Joseph Paye told The Liberian Investigator in a recent interview that the current facility was turned over to the agency by the county administration after months of lobbying, following its evacuation from a building on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court compound in Gbarnga.
The Fire Service remained largely non-functional during those months while searching for new office space, Paye said, despite its role as the county’s primary responder to fire outbreaks and other emergencies.
The evacuation followed a court ultimatum issued in late 2025. In December of that year, the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court ordered the LNFS detachment to vacate the building it had occupied for nearly a decade, citing plans to renovate the structure for judicial use. Court authorities first notified the agency in September 2025 and later instructed it to leave before contractors began renovation works.
Paye said the building now assigned to the Fire Service is badly deteriorated, with peeling walls, damaged ceilings and a bathroom in what he described as a deplorable state, giving the structure an “awful appearance.”
“The condition of the building is not suitable for a national emergency institution,” Paye said, adding that the poor environment affects staff morale and the agency’s public image.
A team of contractors recently assessed the facility and estimated that a complete renovation would cost more than US$20,000, he disclosed.
The Bong commander appealed to both county authorities and the national government to intervene urgently, warning that the agency continues to operate under difficult conditions despite its critical role in responding to emergencies across Bong County.
The current building is not the first facility the detachment has lost. The office previously occupied by the Fire Service was earlier demolished by the Gbarnga City Corporation during the administration of then-Mayor Josiah Marvin Cole, after which the court building was temporarily provided to the agency in collaboration with county authorities, according to earlier LNFS accounts.
Paye is now urging the Bong County Legislative Caucus, the County Administration and the central government to prioritize renovation of the current facility to strengthen public safety services in the county.
“If we are expected to protect lives and property, we must have a safe and functional place from which to operate,” he said.
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