Three houses were destroyed by fire over the weekend with two cases in the West and one in the Central division.
The National Fire Authority, in a release said the first happened last Friday at Qeleloa, Nadi, in which the property was occupied by 10 adults and six children while the owner lives overseas.
“The building housed seven flats, was not insured and was powered by solar energy, there was 75 per cent damage to the structure with an estimated cost around $80,000,” the release said.
“The duty crew responded immediately and arrived at the scene at 9.55pm to find one side of a concrete and partly wooden double-storied residential property engulfed in flames.
At around 4am on Sunday morning, the NFA received a call, reporting a fire at the Navuso Agricultural Technical Institute near Navuso Village, Naitasiri.
“From initial site inquiries and investigations, officers determined that two classroom blocks, three offices and a laboratory were destroyed,” NFA said.
“Currently there is no estimate on the cost of damage sustained. No casualties were reported.”
The third case was reported on Sunday afternoon at 5.28pm in which a two-bedroom corrugated iron and timber dwelling was destroyed by fire at Vagadra Village.
“The villagers, while waiting for the fire trucks to arrive, managed to control the fire using the bucket brigade method, a strategy learned from their recent community fire wardens.
training conducted by NFA.
“The house belonged to a 36-year-old villager and was occupied by three adults and three children and the property sustained 85% of the damage with an estimated cost of $50,000.”
NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane praised the villagers at Vagadra for putting what they learned into practice but warned members of the public to always practice fire safety and exercise precaution.
“Our plea is for members of the public to practice simple things such as properly storing flammable materials, ensuring that mosquito coils are placed on non-combustible materials or surfaces and teaching family members what to do in case of a fire,” he said.
“We also urge members of the public to call our 910 toll-free emergency line in the first instance to ensure we respond in a timely manner and put out fires as quickly as possible.”
