Fiji’s National Fire Authority is urging people to take extra care after four house fires within 24 hours including two on Christmas Day.
On Christmas Eve, NFA attended to two house fires in Nausori and in Labasa. The first call was received by the NFA Command Centre at 10.33 am that a residence in Vadrai, Nakelo, Nausori was on fire. Upon the arrival of the fire crew at 11.01 am, the house was already fully engulfed with flames. The property was a 2-bedroom house occupied by 3 adults and 4 children. The house was vacant at the time of the fire.
The second fire call was received by the NFA Command Centre at 2.14pm that a residence was on fire at Qoibau, Labasa. Immediately the NFA Labasa team responded to the incident and upon arrival at the scene at 2.33pm, the fire crew found that the house was already fully destroyed by the fire. The property was a 2-bedroom lean-to house and was occupied by 4 adults and 2 children. The house was also vacant at the time of the fire as the family was away in Savusavu.
In the early hours of Christmas Day, NFA received a fire call just 2 minutes after midnight that a house was on fire at Saweni, Viseisei Back Road, Lautoka. The NFA Lautoka team quickly responded and on arrival at the scene at 13 minutes past midnight, they found the house was fully engulfed in flames. The property was a corrugated iron lean-to structure. It is understood that the homeowner was at home at the time of the fire and that the cause of the fire was unattended cooking. The homeowner had returned home at around 11pm on Christmas eve and cooked dinner but fell asleep waiting for his dinner to cook. Fortunately, he managed to escape uninjured.
On the early hours of Christmas Day at 2.55am, NFA Ba Fire Station received an emergency call from the Police that a house was on fire at Sorokoba Village in Ba. The fire crew quickly responded and upon arrival at 3.10am, the team found the house fully engulfed in fire. The property was a 3-bedroom concrete structure occupied by 2 elderly ladies. The house was vacant at the time of the fire as the occupants were away attending a function in another village.
NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane says that these are very sad situation to see people losing their homes, belongings and properties, especially during Christmas.
