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A fire started by children playing with a lit kerosene lantern has partially destroyed a house in a farming community in Fiji’s Western Division.
Fiji’s National Fire Authority said the fire at Drasa Village in Lautoka started in one of four bedrooms while house owner Asish Kumar was away at work.
His wife, who was with their three children aged four, three and one and half years old at home, felt the heat from the fire while she was in the bathroom and alerted the neighbors.
She and the children escaped unhurt.
National Fire Authority (NFA) divisional fire officer Western Isoa Makutu has asked that parents ensure that their children are always supervised.
The NFA said a mattress was set alight while the children were playing with the lantern.
While the four bedrooms and kitchen were destroyed, the fire crew saved the living room, dining area, washroom and storeroom from the fire.
