Kamna Kumar 
The National Fire Authority has recorded a 26 percent drop in structural fires from January to April this year, compared to the same period last year.
Chief Executive Puamau Sowane says there were a total of 49 structural fires so far this year, compared to 58 last year.
Sowane says the reduction is largely due to fire awareness programs carried out by firefighters across communities.
NFA Chief Executive Puamau Sowane.
However, he says the focus has now shifted to areas outside municipal boundaries, where most recent fires have occurred.
Sowane says fires often break out in informal settlements where buildings are not properly planned and lie outside fire coverage areas.
He adds that after NFA re-strategised to focus on areas within the municipal boundaries, it recorded a significant drop in fire cases.
“We have an annual target of decreasing urban fires by 5%. But last year, we were able to reduce by 16%. But we see that there’s still a lot of burning inside the boundary. Because one or two structural fires, that is a lot. We want to zero-rise this.”
He is urging homeowners to comply with fire safety measures and building standards.
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