The article below is culled from the Independent. I smell a rat here. A small fire destroying only little eveidence. No fire department was called. Ousman Bojang. GRTS film tapes destroyed in "small, mid-day fire" Sources say more destruction occurred The Independent recently learnt that a "small" fire broke out in the marketing department of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), destroying "a good number of film tapes". Although one worker who begged for anonymity maintained that the destruction was negligible, other sources within GRTS suggested that more damage was done to film tapes, files and cash. When The Independent visited the site only a black mark tracings on one of the door frames and a burnt window curtain betrayed any sign of the fire, which "happened accidentally". The staff was busy at work. Sources said the "accident" had occurred at a crucial time when an auditing team was soon to begin "visiting" files and record books of the GRTS marketing department. An insider had earlier alleged that people who wanted to destroy files and documents to erase possible evidence of financial impropriety might have orchestrated it. The GRTS marketing officer Kemo Jatta however, denied that the fire had destroyed files and cash. Speaking to The Independent, a worried looking Mr. Jatta acknowledged that the fire occurred but claimed that it was too small to damage anything. He said its cause remains unknown. "It was just a small fire and nothing was lost," he maintained, adding that he was not present during its outbreak. When asked whether the matter was reported to Fire Brigade, he replied in the negative, adding that he could not say anything more. The Independent later contacted the Public Relations Officer of the fire Brigade Momodou Sonko who confirmed after some inquiries with staff that the GRTS fire was not reported to them. Mr. Sonko believed that it was wrong for fire outbreaks to be unreported since they could worsen and result in deaths and colossal destruction to property. He said those who were witnesses to the GRTS fire should have sounded the alarm to the fire brigade who he said are often blamed "for arriving late onto the scene". He said their service in the event of fire emergencies could be more effective if they are notified immediately. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------