By Amadou Jadama
A mysterious fire outbreak yesterday ravaged Farafenni magistrate’s court, burning case file, records and other documents into ashes, a court official told The Standard.
The cause of the inferno which reportedly started at 3 am, is not yet known.
Confirming the incident to The Standard yesterday, Kebba Sabally, a court clerk, said he got to know about the incident when he received a call from one of his colleagues informing him about a fire at the court house dead in the night on Monday, and together with the magistrate, they visited the scene where they stayed until day break. “Nothing has been recovered from the fire. The court files and everything got burnt to ashes .We don’t know the cause of the fire because we don’t have a night watchman here. This kind of incident, where a court house is burnt down, has never happened here,” the court clerk mourned.
According to him, the fire was later put out by officers from the Fire and Rescue Services in Farafenni. ”But it was too late to salvage anything. The entire building was reduced to ashes.” he said.
Meanwhile the police have confirmed the incident, saying in a statement that the fire incident resulted in the complete destruction of the courthouse and all properties contained within.
“Despite swift efforts by officers and community members to contain the blaze, the fire could not be brought under control until significant damage had occurred.
The Gambia Fire and Rescue Services were also on the scene to assist in extinguishing the fire. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries have been reported.
The Gambia Police Force is currently collaborating with relevant stakeholders, including the Gambia Fire and Rescue Services, to investigate the cause of the fire and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident,” the police statement said.
