By Ben TC Brooks
Andrew Weah Chea, a 47-year-old Palm Wine Tapper of Gbeapo Kanweaken, the primary commercial hub of River Gee County, lost his life in a fire while harvesting piassava wine.
According to family reports, the incident occurred in the morning hours of July 9, 2025
The cause of the fire is yet to be established as investigation continues by the district local authorities and the Liberia National Pilice (LNP).
Andrew, a farmer skilled in tapping piassava wine, usually managed his tree during both morning and evening periods.
His sister, Comfort Chea, recounted that on that ill-fated morning, Andrew went out to check on his piassava tree and encountered his tragic fate.
Family members became anxious when he did not return home by evening. Comfort expressed her anguish, stating, “We had no idea that anything was wrong until last night. When we woke up this morning and began searching for him, I was heartbroken to find my dear brother, who was only trying to support his family, hanging lifelessly.”
Andrew is survived by his wife, two children, and other relatives as they might now be faced the challenge of coping with his loss.
However, the incident prompted an initial response from the County Coroner Derrick Keah, who arrived to investigate.
They worked alongside a jury of fifteen community members to recover Andrew’s body from the tree.
After their inquiry, the local jury concluded that no foul play was involved in Andrew’s passing as Coroner Keah then released his body to the family for funeral arrangements.
However, this paper has reliably confirmed that there’s an ongoing police investigation.
In the aftermath, concerns have arisen among local piassava wine tappers regarding their safety, prompting local authorities to consider measures to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
