Fire Claims One Life, Destroys 9 Houses in URR

Monday, January 09, 2012
A New Year Day inferno in Sare Nghaba Village in Wuli West District of the Upper River Region (URR) has claimed the life of a four-year-old girl. Binta Sowe perished in the fire, which also destroyed nine houses. Though the actual cause of the inferno, which started about 10pm is yet to be established, many suspect it was caused by a fire that people had lit to heat their bodies because of the cold.

Mawdo Amadou Jallow, regional disaster coordinator in URR told the Daily Observer that everything in the affected houses were burnt to ashes. He said these included household items, donkey cart, as well as groundnut and coos that were harvested this past farming season. Meanwhile, relief materials that included bags of rice, sanitary equipment and clothing, among others, were distributed to the victims by a team from the regional disaster management office that visited the scene with the deputy governor of the region, Momodou S Jallow.

Addressing the victims on behalf of the regional governor and regional disaster management committee, Deputy Governor Jallow expressed regret at the disaster and the loss of a life. He also commended the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) for its swift response to the incident.

Mawdo Amadou Jallow, expressed his heartfelt condolence to the family of the deceased and urged the community to clean up the village. He advised them to clear their surroundings in order to create a fire belt around the village in order to avoid a similar incident occuring in future. He pointed out that the fire could have been avoided if necessary measures were taken.  Jallow finally appealed to philanthropists, individuals and NGOs to come to the aid of the victims. In a separate development, 30 people were left homeless in the village of Kurkuleh in Tumana District in a similar incident.
Author: Alieu Ceesay in Basse, URR;Daily Observer