Ten people have been left homeless after a fire destroyed a three-flat house at Pundit Maharaj Street, Vesivesi in Kinoya today.

A 910-emergency call was received by NFA Suva Control at 11.37 am and immediately the fire team responded. Upon arrival at the scene, they found a three flat corrugated iron and timber house engulfed in flames.  The fire team quickly established two deliveries of water from the fire truck to extinguish the fire and stop its spread to nearby houses.

National Fire Authority (NFA) is urging the public and property owners to take extra responsibility of fire safety in and around their homes after a spike in the number of fire incidents this month.

NFA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Puamau Sowane says it is very worrying to see an increase in fire incidents despite many reminders.

“It is sad to see families losing their valuables and many years of hard work in these fire incidents especially during such difficult times,” he said.

According to statistics recorded by the National Fire Authority (NFA), since January this year to date, a span of over 7 months and 9 days, a total of 67 structural fire incidents were recorded compared to over 70 fire incidents for the same period last year.

Mr. Sowane says that fire threatens everyone’s lives and properties and we should also be mindful of our neighboring homes and properties.

“We are all facing challenging times during this pandemic and losing homes and belongings in a fire at this time is just too painful to see,” he added.

NFA urges the public to call on the toll-free fire emergency number 910 if they see any property on fire so that the firefighters can respond in the quickest time to save that property.

The NFA will be carrying out its investigations into the fire incident to ascertain the cause.

END.