Sigatoka, Fiji – February 21, 2025 – Today, an important milestone was achieved with the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Natadola-Kabisi Fire Station, which will significantly enhance emergency response services for the Nadi and Sigatoka corridor. Officiated by the Honourable Minister for Local Government and Housing, Mr. Maciu Katamotu Nalumisa, this new facility will play a vital role in improving response times and emergency services for local communities in the region.

The Chief Executive Officer of the National Fire Authority (NFA), Mr. Puamau Sowane, highlighted the critical need for this station, particularly given the high number of road accidents along the Nadi-Sigatoka corridor. He emphasized that the new fire station would greatly improve the NFA’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies in the area.

The event was marked by a beautiful traditional blessing from Talatala Qase Nareba, with the blessings of the Turaga

National Fire Authority (NFA) investigators will start work soon to look into the circumstances surrounding the fire that destroyed 3 houses at Cunningham Stage 1, Suva, yesterday morning (Saturday, 25^th January, 2025).

At 07.36am, the NFA Command Centre was alerted about the fire by a member of the public on the 910 emergency toll-free line.

The duty crew at Suva Fire Station immediately responded with 2 trucks and 8 officers, followed by a ladder rescue truck and ambulance.

On arrival at the scene at 7.45am, the crew saw a house in the informal settlement on fire and immediately established 1 delivery of 1 length from their tank supply.

By 9.42am, with officials from Energy Fiji Limited (EFL), Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) and the Fiji Police Force in attendance, the NFA Command Centre was informed that 3 houses – built from timber and corrugated iron – were on fire and the fire crews had finally managed to extinguish the

Good afternoon to you all, members of the Media and welcome to the National Fire Authority HQ here in Walu Bay, Suva.

As you are all aware, the National Fire Authority has 21 fire stations located around the country with a vehicle fleet of 89 vehicles and total staffing of 661 personnel.

The NFA is an all-encompassing fire and emergency management service. This means that the National Fire Authority is responsible not only for fire emergency response but also for attending to other emergencies such as road accident rescue, flood and swift water rescue, hazardous material rescue, urban search and rescue, natural disaster rescue and emergency ambulance service, as mandated in the National Fire Service Act, 1994.

This media conference has been organized to enable the NFA to send out advisories and warnings to all members of the general public, especially with the children at home for the school holidays, Christmas in just a few days away and the New Year 2024

National Fire Authority’s Levuka Fire station received a running call at 12.30am about a property fire at the old Levuka Hospital located between the new Levuka Hospital and the hospital mortuary.

 The duty team of four firefighters as well as seven off-duty fire officers arrived at the scene to find the four-room vacant wooden heritage building fully engulfed in flames.

 Using a fire appliance with a 3000-litre tank capacity the crew established 1 delivery of 4 lengths from tank supply to put out the fire and stop it from spreading to the nearby new hospital and mortuary, which were very closely located to the old hospital. 

 Being a wooden building and fanned by a sea breeze, the fire spread rapidly causing the four patients at the new hospital to be evacuated to Levuka Vakaviti Village nearby.

 The fire spread was so rapid and intense that the fire crew focused on containing the fire and preventing its spread to the new hospital and mortuary,

As parts of Fiji experience heavy downpours and flooding, the National Fire Authority (NFA) is cautioning members of the public to have an evacuation plan in place should the need arise and to secure their properties well before leaving their homes.

With the New Year just hours away, NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane said a five-year analysis by the Authority identified the festive season as a time when residential fires usually peaked.

“While the analysis shows that residential fires so far this month have been the second lowest in the past 5 years, the month and year have not ended and we are appealing to members of the public to practise fire safety awareness and prevention,” he said.

The latest fire so far this month occurred on Christmas Day at Daya Street, Vatuwaqa, Suva.

At 11.38pm on Christmas Day, the NFA Command Centre received a call on the 910-emergency line from a member of the public reporting the residential fire. 

The

Navutulevu Village in Serua Province, almost 42 kilometres east of Sigatoka, has been declared a fire-safe community.

This is after the completion of one-week training for 25 villagers as Community Fire Wardens (CFW) under a programme drawn up and implemented by the National Fire Authority (NFA) for rural and remote communities which fall outside its fire boundaries.

Provincial Administrator Nadroga Navosa Vatia Vasuca officiated at the graduation ceremony last Friday (September 29, 2023) at the village and handed out certificates to the graduates.

“I thank the NFA for this programme because it is very timely, given the recent spate of fires around the country,” he said.

“I want to thank the officers and firefighters who imparted their skills and knowledge and I want to thank the villagers, especially the youth, who took part enthusiastically and took the lessons from this programme really well as we witnessed during the drills this