Nadawa fire caused by unattended cooking

The early morning fire that destroyed a 3-flat apartment building at Dadakulaci Road in Nadawa today was caused by unattended cooking, a preliminary investigation by the Fiji National Fire Authority has established.

The fire has left three families homeless and is believed to have happened around 3am today, but according to NFA they did not receive the fire emergency call until four hours later.

NFA received the fire emergency call at 0706hrs and the firefighters immediately responded to the call, a statement issued by the local fire authority said.

Upon arrival at the scene seven minutes later, the firefighters found the property completely engulfed in flames.

It took them an hour to put out the fire as well as hot spots.

The early morning blaze brings to 62 the number of structural fires that have happened in the country this year.

NFA’s chief executive John O’Connor who was at the scene this morning reiterated the need for members of the public to take fire safety seriously and always practice good housekeeping to minimise the chances of a fire.

He added that majority of the 62 fires NFA has attended to this year were caused by unattended cooking, children playing with matches, candles and mosquito coils which can be attributed to carelessness.

“NFA is again pleading with members of the community to totally change their attitude to fire safety and not assume that a fire will not happen to them. Fires can be controlled and it is everybody’s responsibility to ensure fire safety in their homes to ensure the safety of their property and families,” O’Connor said.

By Indrani Krishna