Recent Residential Fires A Great Concern for NFA
Check and ensure that all fire safety measures are observed in homes. This was the gist of National Fire Authority (NFA) chief executive officer Puamau Sowane message to all Fijians after a number of residential fires had risen recently.
He said it was a great concern for the authority.
The advice comes after a fire at Nadonumai in Lami claimed the life of a six-month-old baby boy.
Mr Sowane added that the authority would conduct its investigations to determine the cause of the fire and circumstances surrounding the fire victim.
“Every life and property matters, and everyone has a role to play to ensure that our properties and homes are fire safe,” he said.
Mr. Sowane said it was sad to see that in most cases; the causes of fires were purely caused by negligence which could have easily been avoided.
Statistics
“The death of the six-months-old baby has increased the number of fire victims to five in the span of nine months for 2022 compared to six for 12 months in 2020. The structural fire statistic is an indication of social behaviour of any particular community towards fire safety,” he said.
“Fire accidents do happen, but it can be avoided if individuals champion and advocate fire safety and understand the devastating impact that it can cause.
“According to statistics recorded by NFA since January this year to date, a span of over nine months and two weeks, a total of 92 structural fire incidents have been recorded compared to over 80 struc
tural fire incidents in the same period last year.
“Of the 92 fire incidents recorded, eight fire incidents alone were recorded in the first two weeks of September.”
He said it was time to take ownership of our properties and the lives of our families by doing right
the thing
“Identifying hazards that could start a fire in your home or ensuring that all precautionary measures are taken to prevent a fire from happening is the best action everyone can take,” he said
“NFA urges all Fijians to be alert of their surroundings and immediately call the toll-free fire emergency number 910 if they see any suspicious smoke or fire before attempting to put it out, so that firefighters can respond in the quickest time possible.”