Published: August 13, 2025
KAKATA, Margibi – A one-month-old boy was killed in a house fire in Aloha’s Town, Bong Mine, on Monday, August 11, in an incident initially reported as suspected arson but later ruled accidental by a coroner’s jury.
Police said Sekou Kamara, a local authority, who claimed the fire had trapped a child inside, alerted them to the blaze at about 3:45 p.m. A crime investigation team departed Kakata the following morning at 8:00 a.m. and arrived in the town around 11:00 a.m. to assess the scene.
The victim, Alpha Janneh, was the infant son of Bendu Alpha and her husband, Saku Janneh. According to police, Bendu told investigators she had bathed her son and placed him on a bed inside their home before sitting outside with relatives Moses, Ansu, and Tutu Alpha. Moments later, she heard the crackle of fire from inside the house.
She said flames quickly engulfed the bedroom doorway, blocking her from reaching the baby. Her husband was in the bush at the time, and their other children were swimming in a nearby creek.
Bendu reported that an old motorbike, recently serviced by her husband, was parked inside the house but contained no gasoline. She added that the family often lit fires inside the main house instead of the kitchen, which is located some distance away. She could not identify the cause of the blaze and said no one else was present when it started.
Police investigators said three power saws, a motorbike, and a solar panel system were found in the debris. The cause of the fire could not be immediately determined.
Due to the fatality, authorities convened a 15-member coroner’s jury. After inspecting the scene and hearing witness accounts, the jury ruled the fire accidental, concluding there was no evidence of foul play.
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