A property on Waila Feeder Road outside Nausori was destroyed by fire this afternoon.
Witnesses at the scene believed someone was burning tires nearby due to the thick black smoke.
Manoa Gasaudrokadroka shared that no one thought it was a house on fire.
“I never thought much about it. I thought it was just someone burning tires or rubbish,” Mr Gasaudrokadroka said.
Another witness, Asaeli Racule, reported that the fire started in the back flat and spread quickly.
“When we got here, we saw the fire broke out from the back flat, and it spread so quickly,” Mr Racule said, adding that the fire ravaged through the bottom flats, resulting in a car explosion.
Mr. Racule said the landlord was devastated to see their house blackened by fire and smoke.
A third witness at the scene, Suliasi Waqa, states that one of the tenants fell unconscious when she saw her home filled with smoke.
“The old lady fainted when she saw the house was on fire after coming back from her walk,” Mr Waqa said.
The witnesses said the fire was uncontainable, and it took three National Fire Authority trucks to refill from the nearby river three times.
They believe that the delay in communication and the lack of community vigilance caused the NFA to be unable to save the property.
The tenants and the property owner refused to answer any questions.
This is the fifth house fire in 2026.
