Seventeen borders of Adi Cakobau School (ACS) lost all their belongings in a fire which razed a dormitory yesterday morning.

Minister for Education Heritage and Arts Rosy Akbar visited the prominent school in Sawani soon after the fire.

And the Ministry of Education has outlined their priorities in regard to what their next steps helping will be.

They are:
a) Replacement items, including clothing, toiletries and bedding will be purchased immediately from the Free Education Grant.

b) Counselling as may be required is being coordinated by the Substance Abuse Advisory Council.

c) Some students, who are able, have volunteered to move to their homes and attend as day students while the others will share space in the remaining dormitories for the short term.

d) Other students who live close to the school but who are boarders will be approached to move to their homes to provide space in dormitories for those whose parents are on the islands or in areas far from the school.

Eyewitness, Mosese Vosabeci who is a farmhand at ACS, said he was thankful no one was injured.

“I was cutting the grass in the school ground when a colleague of mine who was at the farm saw smoke coming out of the dorm,” Mr Vosabeci said.

“He called me and we tried to stop the fire from spreading throughout the dorm but we couldn’t.

“The dorm that burned was used by the students. The students were at their classrooms when the fire happened.

“I think the fire started because of an electrical fault because when we used water to try and extinguish the fire it actually spread more. Two fire trucks arrived at the school to extinguish the fire.”

Chief Fire Officer Qionilau Moceitai said the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the incident was being investigated.

Edited by Percy Kean

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