Jannif Grateful Staff Are Safe After Fire Destroys Raiwai Warehouse, Workshop
Ikbal Jannif says he is grateful that all his staff members are safe after the Caines Jannif warehouse and workshop in Carpenter Street, Raiwai was destroyed in a fire yesterday.
The managing director said there were 12 employees including his tenant’s workers.
“I just want to thank the National Fire Authority, the Police and all my neighbours that came to assist,” he said.
“It could have been a lot worse but we are just grateful that everybody is safe.”
Mr Jannif could not even go to the building and he didn’t know the extent of damage, what was saved and what was totally burned.
When asked of the estimated loss, he said: “I won’t be able to give that information until I go into the property and I check it out.
“This will be in a couple of days.”
Chief Fire officer Qionilau Moceitai said the high content of flammable material such as papers, framing timber and flammable liquids, etc made the work of the firefighters very difficult.
It also lengthened the time taken to extinguish the fire.
He said members of the fire team deployed to the scene showed bravery in battling the fire because strong winds at that time were a huge obstruction in their work.
“But, they managed to control the situation very well by confining the fire within the two buildings and stopped it from spreading to other business properties in the vicinity,” Mr Moceitai said.
These included an engineering company in the same compound and the Fiji National University’s property which is a few metres away.
The team of firefighters from the Suva Station were supported by personnel from the Valelevu and Nausori Fire Stations who were all deployed to battle the fire.
A total of four fire trucks and more than 35 firefighters were engaged to put out the fire.
Mr Moceitai commended his men for their brave effort under intense conditions and how they manage to stop the fire from spreading to the neighboring businesses to avoid a major calamity in the area. He thanked the Police for their effort in controlling the traffic and preventing the public from entering the area.
He also thanked the Water Authority of Fiji for boosting the water supply pressure in the area and FEA for ensuring the safety of the public by cutting off the live power lines in the area.
NFA will be conducting its investigations with Police.
