Rohit Deo
13 May, 2021, 6:30 am
The four-bedroom corrugated iron and timber house that was destroyed in a fire at Vunikavika settlement in Sigatoka. Pictures: SUPPLIED
Fiji’s Minister for Local Government, Housing and Community Development Premila Kumar has expressed concerns about the number of house fires during this lockdown period.
This after the National Fire Authority reported three cases of residential fires in a span of four days since May 7.
The three residential fires include a family losing their five-bedroom home on Friday, May 7; the second was that of a Wainiveidio family losing their two-bedroom home on Saturday, May 8; and the third was the early morning fire that destroyed the home of three families at Vunikavika Settlement in Sigatoka on Monday, May 8.
Jale Daucakacaka
11 May, 2021, 3:50 pm
The four-bedroom corrugated iron and timber house that was destroyed in a fire at Vunikavika settlement in Sigatoka. Pictures: SUPPLIED
The National Fire Authority (NFA) is calling on the public to be vigilant within their households after three residential fires were recorded over a span of four days.
NFA chief executive officer Puamau Sowane said the increase in residential fire incidents indicated people were not taking fire safety seriously around their homes and properties.
In the latest incident yesterday, a four-bedroom corrugated iron and timber house was destroyed in a fire at Vunikavika settlement in Sigatoka.
May 10, 2021 06:03:02 PM A four bedroom corrugated iron house was destroyed by a fire at Vunikavika in Sigatoka this morning. National Fire Authority chief executive Puamau Sowane said three families who occupied the house lost all their belongings in the fire but managed to escape safely. Sowane in a statement said the fire team from the Sigatoka Fire Station responded immediately after receiving an alert at 7.50 am. “Upon arrival at the scene, the fire team found the house fully engulfed in flames, the team quickly used one delivery of water from the fire truck to extinguish the fire. “The intensity of the fire and windy conditions at the time of the incident caused the fire to spread quickly,” he said.
Fires in the last four days have left five families homeless. Three families of Vunikavika Settlement in Sigatoka lost their four bedroom corrugated iron house, this morning. A family also a family lost their five-bedroom house last Friday at Ratu Kadavulevu Road in Visama, Nausori while another family from Navua lost their two-bedroom house last Saturday. National Fire Authority chief executive Puamau Sowane said the fire incident this morning is the third residential fire within a span of only four days and this raises a lot of concern. “The increase in residential fire incidents indicates that people are not taking fire safety seriously around their homes and properties,” he said.