President Kufuor Escapes Fire

Monrovia, Liberia, July 26 -- The third and fourth floors of Liberia's presidential mansion caught fire today during a meeting between President Kufuor and the leaders of Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

The fire broke out as Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was about to host a gathering of the visiting presidents. The four leaders had gathered for a ceremony to celebrate the resuscitation of Monrovia's rundown public electricity system for the first time in 15 years.

"There is black smoke everywhere" a correspondent at the scene said as firefighters arrived.

All the leaders escaped unharmed, but the blaze marred independence day celebrations. The cause of the fire is as yet unknown

According to a BBC report, the fire came just after the Liberian president switched on generator-powered street lights in the capital, which has lacked electricity for 15 years.

Firefighters were battling on Wednesday afternoon to control the blaze.

Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf had promised to bring electricity to the whole of Monrovia within six months of assuming office in January.

President Kufour joined her to switch on the street lights in Congo Town, an eastern suburb of Monrovia on Wednesday morning.

Ghanaian technicians have helped install the street lights for the event, and the generators and poles came from Ghana.

"Ghana is proud to have been able to render this support to you and your nation," Mr Kufour said to Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf.

"As lights dispel darkness, so with the restoration of power to Liberia the period of gloom and darkness engendered by political turmoil must come to an end," he continued.

As Liberia celebrates 159 years of independence, every effort is being made to ensure visible signs that life in the capital is improving, our correspondent says.