By Langston Joe Wilson, LINA Maryland County Correspondent
HARPER, June 24 (LINA) – A devastating fire that engulfed a shop and warehouse on Water Street in Harper City, Maryland County, has left a local business in ruins and reignited public concerns over unstable electricity supply and inadequate emergency response services in Maryland County.
The blaze, which broke out at approximately 8:00 p.m. on June 15, 2026, destroyed a commercial building owned by Madam Mariama Fofana, a prominent businesswoman in the area.
Eye witnesses said the fire spread rapidly throughout the structure, consuming large quantities of food supplies and household commodities stored inside.
Although no fatalities or injuries were reported, the financial losses were significant. Madam Fofana estimated that goods valued at more than US$10,000 were destroyed, including bags of rice, cooking oil, beans, groundnuts, and other essential commodities that supplied customers across the county.
Standing beside the charred remains of her business on Tuesday morning, Madam Fofana described the incident as heartbreaking.
“I worked for years to build this business, and in one night everything was gone,” she said emotionally.
Residents believe the fire may have been triggered by persistent power outages and voltage fluctuations, which they say have become increasingly common due to the poor management of the southeastern power grid.
Several witnesses reported that electricity had repeatedly gone off and returned shortly before the fire erupted.
The incident has heightened concerns about the reliability of electricity services in Maryland and other southeastern counties, where frequent outages and voltage surges have damaged appliances and threatened businesses for years.
Gabriel Baccus Gbagbar, a senior officer of the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) in Maryland County, called for a thorough investigation into the operations of LIBENERGY, the private company contracted by the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) to manage electricity distribution in Maryland, River Gee, Grand Gedeh, and parts of Nimba County.
“If investigations confirm that this fire resulted from electrical fluctuations, then the power provider must answer serious questions,” Gbagbar asserted.
He lamented that customers have repeatedly complained about unstable electricity and voltage fluctuations, but their concerns have largely gone unaddressed.
Gbagbar urged the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), the Liberia Electricity Regulatory Commission (LERC), and other relevant authorities to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire.
Eyewitnesses said that as flames engulfed the building, residents quickly organized bucket brigades and used available tools to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby structures, demonstrating remarkable community solidarity.
However, many residents expressed frustration over the apparent failure of personnel from the Liberia National Fire Service to respond to repeated emergency calls.
The absence of an official emergency response has intensified criticism of public safety preparedness in Maryland County, where communities often confront fire outbreaks with limited equipment and inadequate manpower.
The incident has renewed calls for improvements in both electricity management and emergency response capabilities to better protect lives and property across the county.