[Source: Fijian Government]

Damage relating to property fire last year was nearly $13m.

While launching the Integrated Community Fire Warden and Emergency Response Framework in Yako Village Nadi today, Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the number of fire incidents around the country is alarming.

Bainimarama says it has also deeply concerned him.

The Prime Minister says that just two months into 2021, there’s already a total of 20 house fires.

Last year 16 house fires were recorded in January and February.

Bainimarama says for 2019, the cost of the structural fire was more than $22.1m.

He stresses that we need to go beyond the statistics because each of these fires is a human story.

Bainimarama highlighted that the recent Sabeto fire that killed 3 people was tragic and most likely it was preventable.

The investigations have revealed that 77% of the fires attended by the National Fire Authority are caused by electrical mishaps, arson, unattended cooking, and mishandling of matches.

Last year 35% of all fire incidents were related to electricity, making electrical mishaps the number one cause of fires.