Published: September 29, 2025
MONROVIA — Former President George Manneh Weah on Sunday broke his silence over last week’s blaze at his Sinkor residence, telling a church congregation that his family was spared by “divine protection” after his wife insisted they spend the night at their Rehab residence.
“After I got home, my wife said, ‘Today, you and I are sleeping in Rehab whether you like it or not and I agreed with her,” Weah told worshippers at the Forkay Klon Jlateh Fellowship Center in Paynesville. “Later, someone called me and said that my house was burning on 9th Street.”
The former president, who led Liberia from 2018 to 2024, described the blaze as the second time the property has been engulfed by flames and urged the faithful not to let material loss outweigh spiritual devotion: “Be committed in the things of God.”
Last week, the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS) and police investigators reported that they were denied access to the compound hours after the early-morning fire on Sept. 24, which has now left the official cause of the fire unverified.
Blocked from Investigation
According to LNFS officials, the blaze began around 12:48 a.m. in Weah’s first-floor bedroom, damaging a bed, dresser and window before it was contained at about 1:20 a.m. A crew from the Ashmun Street station arrived within six minutes of the alarm, supported by two backup units and an ambulance. The fire was fully extinguished by 2:03 a.m., and no injuries were reported.
Major George S. Davis, who led the second-shift firefighting crew, said his team observed fluctuating electrical currents during the operation and suspected an electrical fault. However, that suspicion has yet to be confirmed by a forensic inspection, as investigators were not allowed access to the property following the incident.
“They denied the investigators from conducting the investigation,” Col. Emmanuel K. Farr, LNFS deputy for operations, told The Liberian Investigator. “They were told they would be contacted when the need arises. Up to the release of this statement [last Thursday], the Liberia National Fire Service has yet to receive a call.”
Despite the lack of an internal examination, the LNFS released a statement attributing the blaze to “believed electrical fluctuations” — a conclusion critics say undermines the agency’s credibility and leaves critical questions unanswered.
CDC Cries Foul, Demands International Probe
Weah’s party, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), has described the incident as a “premeditated attack” on its political leader, alleging a pattern of harassment against the former president and his supporters since he stepped down from office in January.
“These are acts of intimidation unbecoming of a democratic society,” the party said in a statement, demanding “a forensic, international, and independent investigation … one that is void of lies, deception, and fakery.”
The CDC also accused ruling-party supporters of spreading a doctored image of Weah’s bedroom online to mislead the public.
“We call for an investigation that ensures the truth is revealed and justice is served,” the statement read, while assuring Liberians that Weah was “safe, well, and in good health.”
Political Undertones Intensify
The fire came just two days after Weah’s rousing return from Europe, where thousands of supporters greeted him at Roberts International Airport. He had vowed to help rebuild the CDC’s demolished headquarters “in record time,” signaling his intent to play a visible role in opposition politics under President Joseph Boakai’s administration.
The blaze drew prominent CDC figures to the property, including Acting Chairman Janga Kowo, former House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, ex-Minister of State Nathaniel McGill, Montserrado County Rep. Acarous Gray and former Foreign Minister Maxwell Kemayah. Reporters were barred from entering the residence.
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