-In Prima Building Materials Store Fire Incident
By Sampat JMB Kpakimah
Monrovia, Liberia – A devastating fire has completely destroyed the Prima Building Materials Store in the Parker Paint Community, leaving eight individuals wounded and reducing the warehouse to ashes. The blaze, which erupted Tuesday afternoon, caused millions in damage and overwhelmed local fire response.
Our reporters visiting the scene on Wednesday, January 21, found a scene of total loss. The structure and its entire inventory—including dining sets, refrigerators, mattresses, furniture, appliances, and plywood—were burned beyond recognition, leaving only smoldering debris.
Mamadee Kamara, a wounded victim, recounted the incident. “One side of my eyes [was] affected, and due to that I couldn’t see clearly,” he stated, revealing that eight people were injured in total.
An unnamed worker at the store described how the fire spread with terrifying speed. “The incident happened too fast,” he said, noting that despite aid from residents, the flames rapidly consumed the entire building.
Eyewitness Morris Gono, a local businessman, confirmed the intensity of the blaze. “When I rushed to the place, you could barely see the front view of the facility; it was covered in flames.” He also reported that although officers were present, they were insufficient to prevent looting amid the chaos.
The store’s owner, a Lebanese national and partner of Lippfoco, was present at the site but expressed being too overwhelmed to comment at the moment.
The Prima Building Materials store caught fire on Tuesday, January 21, between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. The cause of the fire is not yet known, and the community is now assessing the full extent of the loss.
