Fire broke out inside Sierra Leone’s presidential building in central Freetown Saturday, witnesses and the government said, but President Julius Maada Bio was not present.
The fire broke out on the third and fourth floors of State House, and the president’s office on the second floor was untouched, said an information ministry statement.
“Emergency teams are working diligently to ensure it remains protected,” the statement added.
The cause of the fire, which started at around 4:00 pm (1600 GMT) is not yet known, said the ministry statement.
Videos posted on social media showed flames at the upstairs windows of the large white building, and thick black smoke.
Local resident Mohamed Kamara told AFP: “We saw smoke and fire billowing from the windows and the top floor of the building this evening.”
Police cordoned off streets around the building and security personnel and soldiers were deployed.
President Bio is currently in Turkey attending a conference.
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