A tragic fire in the 72nd Community has left three family members dead in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The victims have been identified as 43-year-old Emmanuel Bartee, his wife Helena, 38, and their five-year-old son, Abraham.
The blaze reportedly broke out between 3 and 4 a.m. in the family’s dirt-and-cement-brick home, located near the “Help Yourself Entertainment and Guest House.” Residents said they were awakened by shouts of “fire” as the flames quickly engulfed the house.
Emergency teams from the Liberia National Fire Service (LNFS), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the Liberia National Police (LNP) responded swiftly, but the family could not be saved. A dog, badly bruised, managed to escape through a broken window.
Neighbors described the scene as horrifying, with some recalling the intensity of the flames that made rescue impossible. While the official cause remains under investigation, some residents suspect an electrical fault may have sparked the fire.
The community is now in mourning, with an outpouring of sympathy for the grieving relatives as rescuers recovered the victims’ bodies.
