173 structural fires reported this year with an estimated loss of $23.3 million

173 structural fires have been reported this year compared to 144 in the same period last year which directly reflects the general public’s leisure attitude towards fire safety.

This has been highlighted by the National Fire Authority Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane.

He says these structural fires resulted in an estimated total loss of $23.3 million compared to an estimated $9.5 million loss due to fires in 2022, a massive 145% increase in loss of investments due to fire damage.

Puamau urges all Fijians to prioritise fire safety wherever they are during this festive season, to take fire safety seriously and the importance of taking extra precautions to avoid unwanted fire incidents from happening to their homes and properties.

The CEO some of the major challenges faced are that despite their strategic goals to reduce the fires, there has been no decrease which is mainly due to the people and the attitude of homeowners, and properties that have been left vacant or abandoned and over time used as drinking spots and causing a threat to nearby homes.

He says according to their statistics, their awareness seems to be ineffective and the reports of fires keep increasing.

He says moving forward they are trying to implement their law in monitoring that people comply with fire safety rules at business and residential homes which is already in the National Fire Safety Act.

The NFA analysis also highlighted that during the dry season, the highest number of fires attended are attributed to grass, bush, cane and rubbish fires, compared to structural and vehicle fires mostly predominant in the Northern and Western divisions.