Statement from the government.
At approximately 4:15 p.m. today, the National Fire Force and law enforcement agencies received an alert about a fire outbreak at the State House in Central Freetown.
Preliminary information indicates that the fire started around 4:00 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the West Wing and has since extended to the 3rd Floor.
Firefighters were quickly deployed and began efforts to contain and extinguish the flames.
As of 7:30 p.m., firefighting efforts are ongoing, and the fire spread has so far been limited to the affected floors and wings.
Multiple government agencies-including the Office of National Security, the Sierra Leone Police, the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, and the Guma Valley Water Company-are actively supporting the response.
The cause of the fire is yet unknown. The Office of the President, located on the 2nd Floor, has not been affected now. Emergency teams are working diligently to ensure it remains protected.
