National Fire Authority Chief Executive, Puamau Sowane

Ninety-five percent of the fire incidents in the last five years are residential.

National Fire Authority Chief Executive, Puamau Sowane says 36 percent of these are from informal settlements and villages.

Sowane says based on the reports received by firefighters the building materials used by some home owners are not of good quality.

“Assessments have been made and found that these building are purely built and from off cuts of timber, tin woods, the use of corrugated roofing irons, used floor boards and are not to building standards and are built below living standards.”

Sowane says some houses are using old wiring cables and old electrical appliances that causes fire.

NFA recorded 12 structural fires in the last 22 days of this month, and 84 structural fires in the first eight months of this year.