On 13th April 2025, a devastating fire tore through State House in Freetown, leaving the third and fourth floors severely damaged. The Honourable Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, acted swiftly, visiting the site and forming an Interagency Response Team with fire officers, engineers, law enforcement, the Ministry of Works, and the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA). Their task is to investigate the cause, assess the damage, and plan recovery, with an initial report due within a week. This tragedy is not isolated. It follows a series of recent fires in our capital, including the Baimbrace Community, Dundas Street in Freetown, and the Special Care Baby Unit at Makeni Regional Government Hospital, all of which have led to significant loss of property, injuries, and even lives.
As an engineer and the author of “An Examination of the Etiology of Electrical Fires With an Emphasis on The Incendiary Impact of Excessive and Irregular Power Supply on Electrical Fire Hazards,” I have done research into understanding why these fires are becoming more frequent. My findings reveal that Freetown’s unstable and irregular power supply—combined with poor electrical infrastructure, unsafe practices, and neglected appliances—creates a deadly combination that we must tackle urgently.
The Hidden Danger of Unstable Electricity
Electricity is vital for modern life, but when it’s unreliable, it becomes a hidden danger. In Freetown, our power supply often fluctuates due to ageing infrastructure, limited generation capacity, and frequent outages. My study explains how this instability—through overvoltage, undervoltage, sudden surges, and frequency fluctuations—greatly increases the risk of fire in our homes, offices, and public buildings.
When the voltage is too high, a condition known as overvoltage, wires and appliances overheat, insulation breaks down, and fires can start. For example, high voltage can heat wires to the point where they ignite nearby materials like wood or fabric, and it can also damage protective devices like fuses and circuit breakers, leaving us vulnerable to faults. On the other hand, when the voltage is too low, known as undervoltage, devices like fridges or air conditioners draw more current to compensate, causing motors to overheat, which can lead to insulation failure and fire. Sudden surges, often triggered by lightning, grid faults, or heavy load switching, can instantly damage appliances, creating sparks or short circuits that start fires. Even frequency fluctuations, which are changes in the power cycle rate, can stress appliances, causing overheating over time and increasing the chance of a fire.
Freetown’s Electrical Vulnerabilities
The problem isn’t just with the power supply—our electrical systems are also to blame. My research identifies several critical issues in Sierra Leone’s buildings. In many buildings, the insulation on wires has worn out due to age, heat, or damage from pests like rats and ants, exposing live wires and increasing the chance of short circuits or sparks that can start fires. Older buildings, which are common in Freetown, often go unchecked for years. Additionally, many of us plug too many devices into one socket, often using extension cords as a permanent solution, which overloads the circuit, causing wires to overheat and raising the risk of fire. In crowded homes or offices, this is a widespread problem.
Moreover, some electrical systems are installed poorly, using cheap materials or by unqualified people, leading to issues like loose connections that create heat and can spark fires, and regular maintenance to spot and fix these issues is rare, leaving buildings vulnerable. Appliances like irons, heaters, or fridges can also have internal faults or manufacturing defects, and if not maintained, dust and lint can build up inside, blocking ventilation and causing overheating, while misusing appliances—such as leaving a heater on near curtains or other flammable materials—further increases the risk.
Dangerous Habits We Must Change
My research also highlights how our own actions worsen the situation. In Freetown, many people unknowingly increase fire risks through unsafe practices. Plugging too many devices into one socket or using extension cords for everything can overload the system, leading to overheating and potential fires, while we often continue using frayed cords or broken plugs, which can cause short circuits and fires at the point of connection.
In Sierra Leone, some people tamper with meters to steal power or connect to two different phases on a transformer, often without knowing the danger, creating faults—like bridges between phases—that can spark fires or cause major electrical failures. Additionally, keeping things like paper, cloth, or fuel near electrical devices, such as lamps or heaters, makes it easy for a fire to start if something overheats.
Lessons from Across the Globe
Freetown is not alone in facing these challenges. My study draws on global research to show that electrical fires are a major issue in many developing countries with unstable power grids. For example, a 2009 study by Kaundinya and colleagues found that in rural India, unstable power led to frequent appliance damage and electrical faults, indirectly increasing fire risks. Similarly, research by Smith and Jones in 2015 showed that voltage surges can cause electronic components to fail, leading to overheating and fires. In Saudi Arabia, Al-Hazmi’s 2012 study found that deteriorated wiring in residential buildings was a leading cause of electrical fires, a problem we also see in Freetown. These examples underline the need for better infrastructure and safety practices to protect our communities.
A Call for Urgent Action
The State House fire is a wake-up call for all of us. If even our nation’s most important building is at risk, then no one is safe. My research outlines several steps we must take to prevent more tragedies. The government must invest heavily in upgrading our power infrastructure to make electricity more stable, which means repairing old systems, increasing power generation, and reducing outages across Freetown and other towns, as a reliable grid is the foundation of electrical safety. We should also install surge protectors and voltage regulators in homes, schools, and offices to shield against sudden power spikes and drops, as these devices can prevent damage to appliances and reduce fire risks.
Furthermore, EDSA and the government must enforce better safety standards for appliances and electrical installations, ensuring they can handle our unstable power conditions, including banning substandard materials and ensuring proper certifications. We need nationwide campaigns to teach people about electrical safety, covering practices like not overloading sockets, using surge protectors, and avoiding tampering with systems, so everyone understands the risks of unsafe practices and how to avoid them. Older buildings, like many in Freetown, need regular electrical checks to find and fix problems before they cause fires, and this should be mandatory for public buildings like hospitals, schools, and government offices, where the impact of a fire can be catastrophic. Finally, we need more studies to understand how power issues lead to fires in Sierra Leone, which will help us create solutions tailored to our unique challenges, ensuring our efforts are effective.
Moving Forward Together
The fires at State House, Baimbrace, Dundas Street, and Makeni Hospital show that we are facing a national emergency. Electrical fires are preventable, but only if we act now. The Vice President’s Response Team is a good start, but this is not just a government problem—it’s a problem for all of us. If we ignore the warning signs, more lives will be lost, and more properties will be destroyed.
I urge the government, EDSA, businesses, and every citizen to take this seriously. Let’s use the State House fire as a turning point. We must invest in our infrastructure, adopt safer practices, and educate our communities. The flames that burned State House should ignite our determination to act—not our despair. Together, we can stop these fires and build a safer Sierra Leone for everyone.