Dawn blaze destroys home
Alit mosquito coil is believed to be the cause of an early morning fire that left a family of four homeless yesterday. The fire occurred between 5am and 6am yesterday at Chetram Feeder Road in Bau, Nausori.
Family members were asleep at the time. Neighbour Roop Narayan said his family members woke up to the smell of the smoke and thought the neighbours were burning rubbish outside.
However, he said, when he looked outside he saw the front of the three-bedroom house was on fire.
Mr Narayan said the family had recently purchased the house and moved into the neighbourhood.
He then called the police and the National Fire Authority to seek assistance as other neighbours quickly ran to assist the family out of the house.
Three fire trucks were at the scene to control the fire with more than 10 firefighters who also assisted the family to get out of their house.
The family consisted of three adults and a 10-year-old child.
Mr Narayan said upon inquiring with the family, he was told that they were asleep while a mosquito coil was alight.
“The owner of the house told us that she was asleep while her sons were awake watching television,” he said.
“She told us she suspected that the lit mosquito coil may have caused the fire.” The family had left the scene and were with their relatives when a team from the Fiji Sun arrived at the scene of the fire yesterday.
A police officer was on guard at the scene while the family were at a relative’s house for shelter. Police and the NFA are continuing investigations to determine the cause of the fire.