A major fire incident has left dozens of workers temporarily displaced after destroying residential quarters and administrative offices at Sunbird Bioenergy Sierra Leone Limited’s 46 Man Camp in Bombali District, triggering an official investigation into the cause of the blaze.
The incident, which occurred on Saturday morning between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., caused extensive damage to company property and disrupted operations at one of the firm’s key accommodation facilities. Despite the scale of the destruction, no injuries or fatalities were reported, largely because many employees were away from the camp for the weekend when the fire broke out.
In response to the incident, the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security dispatched a team of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Social Protection officers to assess the damage and determine the circumstances surrounding the outbreak. The delegation was led by Deputy Director of Occupational Safety and Health, Osman Conteh, and Director of Social Protection, Duraman Songo.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the affected structure served both residential and administrative functions within the company. According to Sunbird Bioenergy’s Engineering Services and Environmental Officer, Sulaiman Pascal Kamara, the building provided accommodation for 56 workers and housed several important operational offices.
Among the offices destroyed were the Agricultural Office, Audit Unit, Irrigation Department, Fire and Safety Unit, and the offices of Zonal Managers. The damage has raised concerns about the impact on administrative operations and the welfare of staff members who lost personal belongings in the fire.
Kamara explained that initial findings suggest the blaze may have originated from an electrical fault inside one of the rooms before spreading rapidly through the building. Although investigations remain ongoing, electrical malfunction is currently being treated as a possible cause.
The company’s Fire and Safety Manager, Kaifala Kegan, stated that emergency responders acted immediately after receiving reports of the fire. However, challenges in accessing the rear section of the building reportedly hindered efforts to contain the flames during the critical early stages of the incident.
According to Kegan, the fire spread quickly before firefighting teams could position their equipment effectively, resulting in extensive destruction to both residential and office facilities.
Following the disaster, Sunbird Bioenergy management moved swiftly to support affected employees. Human Resources Manager Ibrahim Jah Sesay and his team arranged temporary accommodation for displaced workers and facilitated psychosocial support sessions to help them cope with the aftermath of the incident.
Employees affected by the fire have called for additional assistance, including financial support to replace lost belongings and improvements to workplace safety systems. They also emphasized the need for stronger fire prevention measures, enhanced emergency response mechanisms, and increased firefighting resources across the company’s operational sites.
As investigations continue, government officials are expected to review safety procedures and assess whether additional preventive measures are required to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future.
Sunbird Bioenergy has expressed appreciation to emergency responders, staff members, and community members whose swift actions helped prevent the fire from causing further damage and ensured the safety of workers during the emergency.
