The National Fire Authority is investigating the cause of a fire that destroyed a vacant classroom building at Vatuwaqa Primary School early yesterday morning as it raises concerns over an increase in fires involving vacant properties.
The NFA says it received an emergency call at about 12.30am reporting a fire at the school.
Firefighters from the Valelevu Fire Station were immediately dispatched, with additional crews, a ladder appliance and an ambulance also sent to the scene.
The first crew arrived within minutes to find the classroom building fully engulfed in flames.
The fire was brought under control and extinguished by 1.17am, preventing it from spreading to nearby buildings.
The blaze destroyed the 15-metre by 10-metre classroom block, with estimated damage put at $60,000.
The Ministry of Education-owned property was vacant at the time of the fire.
Preliminary investigations indicate the school has remained unoccupied since a previous fire, and there were no security personnel on site.
Meanwhile, a house at Natavileka in Dawasamu was destroyed by fire on Sunday while its two occupants were away attending church.
When firefighters arrived, the timber and corrugated iron house was fully engulfed in flames.
The fire was later extinguished, preventing it from spreading to nearby properties.
The 20 feet by 18 feet house sustained 100 percent damage, with estimated losses of $50,000.
The property was not insured, and no injuries were reported in either the Dawasamu or Vatuwaqa fires.
NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane says the Authority is alarmed by the increasing number of fires involving vacant buildings, saying they place firefighters at unnecessary risk and divert emergency resources from other life-threatening incidents.
He is urging property owners, government ministries, businesses and institutions to properly secure, regularly inspect and maintain vacant buildings to reduce the risk of further fires.
The cause of both fires remains under investigation.
