A staggering 823 fire incidents happened in The Gambia in 2021, the Gambia Fire and Rescue Services has revealed.

They include the Bilal Boarding School fire tragedy in Yarambamba that claimed the lives of five children. 

The Kanifing Municipality was the area with the highest reported fire incidents. A  total of 303 fire incidents occured in the municipality.

Speaking to Gambiana exclusively, public relations officer of the Gambia Fire and Rescue Services (GFRS) Pateh Gibba said the data showed that 2021 had the highest number of fire incidents in the history of the country.

He said they are working to reduce the number of fires in the country with fire awareness campaigns. 

He added that the fire outbreaks in the KMC is of concerned to them and they are doing everything to reduce the shocking numbers. 

Mr Gibba dismissed claims that officers will arrive at fire incidents without water in their fire trucks. 

“There is no firefighter that will attend a fire incident without being with water and other safety uniforms. We cannot be immune to [false] allegations as long as we are serving the people and they are needing our services,” he said. 

“The government is in support of the GFRS to a very large extent with the partnership they have built with Avon Fire Services which is based in England. And these are the people supporting us through the Gambia Government.

“If you say the government don’t buy us fire appliances of course they don’t buy us fire appliances for a long period of time but they contribute immensely in making sure that the partnership is strong and making sure vehicles are also coming into the Gambia,” he added.

Mr Gibba called on the public to support the fire services and stop making false statements against them. 

He said the work they are doing is meaningful and help save lives. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba