National Fire Authority (NFA) investigators have started a probe into 5 fires in the past 4 days.

At 7.18am on Tuesday (24th September, 2024), the Labasa Fire Station duty crew was alerted by the NFA Command Centre about a property fire at Qawa Road, Vunivau.

The crew immediately responded with 2 trucks and 9 officers and arrived at 7.24am to find a 3-bedroom house fully engulfed in flames.

They established 1 delivery of 2 lengths and another delivery of 1 length to extinguish the fire and put out hotspots.

The timber and corrugated iron house, which was occupied by 4 people, sustained more than 90% structural damage although the estimated cost of damage has not been determined.

Information gathered at the scene pointed to the kitchen as the origin of the fire.

Meanwhile, at 1.41pm on Monday (23rd September, 2024), the duty crew at Nadi Fire Station was alerted by the Police Command Centre about a property fire at Bangladesh Settlement, Navakai.

The crew immediately responded with 1 truck and 6 officers and arrived at the scene at 1.46pm to find a 3-bedroom, corrugated iron lean-to house well involved in flames.

They set up 1 delivery of 2 lengths from their tank supply and managed to extinguish the fire and stop it from spreading further.

The property owner was overseas and the caretaker was in Taveuni when the fire occurred.

The house sustained 80% damage and the estimated cost could not be confirmed.

At 3.15am on the same day, the Ba Fire Station crew was alerted by the NFA Command Centre about a structural fire at Sorokoba Village (outside fire boundary).

The crew responded immediately with 1 truck and 6 officers and arrived at the scene at 3.25am to find a 3-bedroom concrete house well involved in flames.

With support from their tank supply, the crew established 1 delivery of 2 lengths to stop the fire from further spreading and managed to extinguish the fire.

The house was vacant at the time of the fire because the owner and her children were away in Nausori. It sustained 95% structural damage with the cost of damage estimated at $40,000.

Meanwhile, at 8pm on Saturday (21st September, 2024), the NFA Command Centre received a call from a member of the public reporting a property fire at Delainavesi, opposite Kauvula Road, Lami.

The on-duty crew at Lami Fire Station responded immediately and arrived at the scene 5 minutes later to find a lean-to house fully engulfed in flames. They quickly establishing 1 delivery of 2 lengths from their tank supply and by 9.14pm they had fully extinguished the flames.

The house, which belonged to a market vendor, sustained 100% structural damage with the cost of damage estimated at $5000.

In the fifth incident, Savusavu Fire Station was alerted at 8.05pm on Saturday (21st September, 2024) about a property fire at Belego Settlement on the Cross Island Road at Savusavu.

The duty crew responded immediately and with 2 trucks and 6 officers and arrived at the scene at 8.25pm to find a 5-bedroom concrete, timber and corrugated iron house fully engulfed in flames.

The crew established 1 delivery of 3 lengths from their tank supply and used a portable pump to draft water from the nearby Vunivesi Creek to fully extinguish the fire.

The house sustained 100% structural damage, but there is no estimate on the cost of damage.

NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane expressed concern at the rising number of home fires and renewed a call to members of the public to practise fire safety and prevention in their homes.

“Most fires are avoidable if members of the public practise fire safety awareness and vigilance. It involves doing simple things that can negate the outbreak of a fire,” he said.

“People need to check and secure their property whenever they leave for school, work, shopping, church or wherever they are travelling.

“Power points need to be switched off, electrical appliances need to be switched off and stored away, kerosene and gas stoves need to be turned off and gas cylinders closed, flammable items and materials need to be stored properly, etc. All this needs to be done before leaving the house.

“We are asking members of the public to be mindful of these things because they could mean the difference to saving your hard-earned investment. 

“We also urge members of the public to call our toll-free 910 number in case of fire or any other emergency to allow our people to respond in a timely manner.”

 -ENDS-