An early Sunday fire gutted an annex at the MTN Lone Star head office compound in Monrovia but was contained before it reached the telecom operator’s main building, company officials and emergency services said.
The annex, used as a customer waiting area and for storage of pickup trucks, was completely destroyed, with computers, landline phones and other equipment lost to the blaze. Deputy Chief Executive Officer Ali Fakih said there were no injuries and that company operations were not disrupted.
“The blaze was contained before it reached the main building,” Fakih said, underscoring that critical operational equipment and network infrastructure were unaffected.
MTN Lone Star issued a statement praising the “swift and coordinated response” of its staff, security personnel and the Liberia National Fire Service, and thanked police and firefighters for bringing the situation under control without harm. “We are deeply relieved to confirm that no injuries were sustained,” the company said, adding that it is fully cooperating with authorities investigating the cause.
The Liberia National Police and the National Fire Service have barricaded the annex while an inquiry proceeds. Officials did not immediately provide a cause for the fire.
Observers noted the incident adds to a string of deadly and destructive fires across Liberia in 2025, raising questions about fire-safety preparedness. Recent incidents include a fatal residential blaze on Du-Port Road in Paynesville in November that killed three children and a pregnant woman, a September fire linked to overheated solar batteries at the home of a national security official, a July gas-line explosion in Maryland County, and a March fire at an orphanage in Paynesville that killed two disabled children and displaced dozens.
MTN said its priority is staff and customer safety and vowed continued cooperation with investigators. For now, the company’s core services remain intact, the firm and responders said, minimizing disruption to the telecom network that serves customers nationwide.
