AN analysis done by the National Fire Authority (NFA) has found that while property fires for the first six months of this year have risen compared to 2024, the cost of damage from those fires has also increased by 43 percent.
In a statement, NFA said based on reports compiled by the its operations department, the analysis found that there were 81 property fires at the end of June 2024.
NFA chief executive officer Puamau Sowane said the analysis also found a sudden trend change, showing a significant shift in the causes of fires over the past 18 months.
He said the analysis found that from 2019 to 2023, the top three causes of property fires were electrical faults, arson suspicious and unattended cooking; however, for 2024 and this year, the trend changed to electrical faults, incendiary and arson suspicious.
He said the new emerging trend was incendiary fires and over the past two years, incendiary fires had become the second-highest type of fires.
He said the analysis highlighted that from January to June 2024, of the 81 fires recorded, 95 per cent were residential homes and the rest were a mosque, a school, a gymnasium and a storeroom.
He said last year, 566 people were displaced in 81 property fires, while for the same period this year, the number had risen to 652.
He said they had cautioned the public to inform their neighbours, families, or the nearest police post if they were leaving their homes, even briefly.
