The National Fire Authority is very concerned with the recent rise in house fires that have occurred from 1st December 2009.
“Of greater concern is the recent trend of structural fires over the last two months in that it is mostly located in urban areas and majority of these house fires are in residential homes,” Acting Chief Executive Officer Mr Koroi said.
“I salute our rural dwellers and members of the community in remote areas for being careful in preventing unnecessary fires occurring in their homes."
NFA statistics reveal that the occupants or owners of these houses are mainly Indians and Indigenous Fijians.
Approximately 50 percent of these fire-damaged houses are insured.
“It seems that fire safety and fire prevention messages regularly communicated by the Authority in the media are not taken seriously by our urban dwellers, which has led to the recent spate of home fires in urban areas. On behalf of the Authority and Government I again plead with families in urban areas to please take extra precautionary measures to ensure unnecessary fires DO NOT occur in your homes."
"Remember fires, if not managed properly, can lead to loss of years of investments in properties and also personal injury or even loss of lives. The community and NFA will need to work closely together if we are to reduce the occurrence of unnecessary fires in Fiji,” Mr Koroi added.
Meanwhile, the National Fire Authority (NFA) responded to a fire incident today, which destroyed a three-bedroom house at Tomuka Settlement in Lautoka.
NFA Lautoka received the fire emergency call at 12:49pm and immediately dispatched the crew. Upon arrival at the scene at 12:59pm the crew found the house in flames.
The corrugated iron and timber house is understood to be owned by a Mr Mohammed Khan.
“The firefighters fought hard to contain the fire from spreading to nearby homes located three meters from the fire scene,"
NFA Divisional Fire Officer Western Mr Isoa Makutu said.
NFA is working with the police to ascertain the cause of the fire.