By Seedy Jobe
A fire outbreak occurred in the early hours of Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the paediatric ward of the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH). No casualties were reported.
Hospital staff, with support from emergency responders, acted swiftly to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading. Authorities have since launched investigations to determine the cause of the incident.
Speaking to journalists, the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, commended the prompt response of hospital personnel and the Fire and Rescue Service, which ensured the situation was quickly brought under control.
”Babies were evacuated to safety where they continue to receive their treatment, and the team did what they could before the arrival of the fire service. Fire service teams came from the State House, equally speaking from the headquarters, to help us put out the fire”, he said.
The minister praised the collective efforts of hospital staff, describing the response as exemplary.
“We thank the hospital team remarkably, from the cleaners, the oddlies, to the security men, to the nurses, the doctors, the entire team, everybody was around and all hands on deck, and so the patients are all stable and safe, they are on the other wards, and we are moving them to the newly renovated wards”, he emphasized.
The Minister of Defence, Hon. Babucarr O. Joof, also addressed the media, extending his apologies to those affected by the incident. He expressed gratitude to the hospital staff and security services, particularly the Fire and Rescue Service, for their prompt intervention.
“In terms of security for the country, we will ensure that at the level of the security council, adequate information is shared”, he said.
Also speaking to Journalists, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Abubakarr Suleiman Jeng, said the incident was a safety issue, not a security one, and that an investigation would determine the cause of the fire.
“Let’s not consider this incident as a security issue”, he said. “It is purely a safety issue, and I can also assure you that the government has done everything as it relates to ensuring that capacity is also built around responding to incidents that are safety related”.
He noted that while the cause of the fire remains unknown, a thorough assessment by the Fire and Rescue Service would provide clarity.
“We want to indicate that at this point, we are unable to tell you specifically what has happened”, he said. “We can insinuate, but unless the fire and rescue services conduct an assessment after this incident, we will be in a position to confidently and competently indicate what must have been because of the fire. Now, when an assessment is also done of such nature, it tends to bring out the causative effects”.
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