Fire destroys Tacirua home

National Fire Authority (NFA) is again reminding members of the community to heed their advice on fire safety and always take extra care to ensure we prevent fires in our homes and property.

Yesterday NFA Suva received a fire emergency call at 1348hrs that a property was on fire at 6 Miles in Tacirua and the fire team immediately responded to the call. Upon arrival at 1359hrs, the fire crew saw the house fully engulfed with flames.

The fire completely destroyed the corrugated iron and timber structured one bedroom house. No one was at home at the time of the fire incident.

Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of the fire, but preliminary investigation revealed that the fire could have been started as a result of the kerosene stove explosion. It is believed that the stove was not put out completely after the use.

CEO John O’Connor said this fire incident was an unfortunate one, but could have been avoided.

“Home fires continue to happen as a result of carelessness and the members of the community continuing not taking fire safety seriously.

The NFA CEO is urging members of the community to change their attitude towards fire safety and not assume that a fire will not happen to them. Fire is a risk in all our homes because we use fire to cook, we use electrical equipment, we use matches as such we must all take fire safety seriously because a fire can happen to any of us.

“Home owners must always ensure that they put out all unattended fires before leaving their homes,” Mr O’Connor said.

“Home owners must always stay in the kitchen while the food is being cooked and must always ensure that they put out all cooking fires before leaving their homes.

“When we attend to fires, we sympathize with the home owners after we see the pain they go through emotionally after the loss of their property or loved ones, but all these fires could have been easily avoided had extra care been taken.

“It is important that home owners discuss fire safety and preventative measures with their families which should be their main priority during family discussion as this will create fire safety awareness at our home and also educate the young children about the importance of fire safety and preventative measures”, Mr O’Connor said.

PRESS RELEASE

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