Kreetika Kumar 
A 71-year-old man has tragically died in a house fire this afternoon in Navakai, Nadi.
National Fire Authority Chief Executive Puamau Sowane confirmed the man was a stroke patient and was unable to escape the blaze.
The house was located outside the fire service’s operational boundary.
Ajay Prakash Singh, grappling with the loss, recalled his last moments with his father-in-law before briefly leaving the house to attend to errands in town.
“I gave him food and everything and after having my bath I went to town. After half an hour my neighbor called me and said my house was on fire. He told me he can see smoke from the kitchen side. When I came back the house was engulfed in flames. I tried to look for my father-in-law.”
NFA Chief Executive Puamau Sowane is advising people not to leave vulnerable individuals alone at home and to be very careful in ensuring their homes are fire-safe.
“Never leave a sick person alone. Someone must always be present to care for them, as they may not be able to evacuate the house during a fire.”
Sowane says the NFA will go through the processes to ascertain the cause of the fire, as it was outside the fire boundary.
The NFA is urging the public to start taking fire safety seriously and identify potential fire risks around their homes.
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