In the early hours of Monday 18th November, a fire broke out in the former railway compound adjacent to the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum. Fortunately, nobody was hurt in the fire and the collection in the museum was not severely damaged. However, the fire caused considerable damage to the museum building, including the destruction of the glazing and original metal frames of 15 of the 22 windows on that side of the Museum. Approximate 15% - 20% of the roof has been destroyed (both aluzinc over-cladding and original asbestos roof) and there are cracks in the wall in several places, created by the intense heat.

The whole museum requires a thorough clean because of smoke damage and two display panels require replacement.

The power supply to the Museum has been destroyed by the fire, resulting in the inability to pump water for cleaning as well as loss of amenity.

The Friends of the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum have committed to support the restoration of the building, which is a national protected cultural asset, as far as is possible, to ensure the long term safety and security of the collection for the public benfit.

Please help if you can.