Fourteen (14) people have been left homeless after a fire incident destroyed a lean-to house at Nanuku Settlement in Vatuwaqa today.

The National Fire Authority (NFA) was alerted of the house through the emergency line 910 at 12.53 pm and the fire team from the Suva Fire Station responded immediately. Upon arrival at the scene, the fire team found the corrugated iron and wooden house fully engulfed in flames. The team quickly used one delivery of water from the fire truck to extinguish the fire and stop its spread to other houses.

The intensity of the fire and windy conditions at the time of the incident caused the fire to spread quickly. The firefighters fought hard against windy conditions to stop the fire from further spreading and managed to save houses which were a few meters away from the burning house.

NFA Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Puamau Sowane says it is worrying that fourteen people have lost their home and belongings in the fire today.

“Losing valuables, memories and years of hard work in a fire is just brutal. People need to start taking fire safety seriously and adhering to all safety precautions that are given by NFA,” he said.

According to National Fire Authority statistics, since January this year to date, a span of over 10 months, a total of 94 structural fire incidents were recorded of which 33 occurred in the Central/Eastern Division, 45 in the Western Division and 16 in the Northern Division. 

 In the month of October alone, the Western Division recorded 10 structural fire incidents, which is quite alarming.

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.

The National Fire Authority urges all Fijians to be alert with their surroundings and immediately call the toll-free fire emergency number 910 if they see any suspicious smoke or fire before attempting to put it out, so that firefighters can respond in the quickest time possible.

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

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