Family left homeless after Labasa fire

A family in Waidamudamu Road in Vunimoli, Labasa has been left homeless after a fire destroyed their 4-bedroom house.

Sharmendra Kamal Bhan, the house owner, told fijivillage News that his mother, wife and baby were in the house when the fire broke out.

He believes the fire started in the bedroom, and the estimated damages are around $150,000.

Bhan says his family is currently taking shelter at their neighbour’s house and are hoping to receive a tent from the Fiji Red Cross.

Bhan says they need all the assistance they can get, and if anyone wishes to provide financial help, they can send their donations to Bhan’s M-PAiSA number: 9307-444.

The National Fire Authority says the Labasa Fire Station was notified of the property fire at 11.44am and responded immediately with two fire trucks, nine firefighters, and an ambulance with two Emergency Medical Technicians.

NFA says they arrived at the scene at 12.05pm to find the house fully engulfed in flames, and were able to extinguish the fire by 2.30pm.

They say the house sustained more than 90 to 100 percent structural damage, and is situated outside the legal fire boundary with no proper building plans and fire safety standards compromised.

NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane says it’s fortunate no one was injured or lost their life during the fire.

He is urging people to practice fire safety measures to keep their homes safe from the devastating impact of fires and to call the emergency number 910 in the event of an emergency.

Sowane says investigators are expected to start work soon to determine the probable cause of the fire.