The National Fire Authority says the high number of fire incidents reports received from the Western Division attributed to bush, sugarcane and rubbish fires was a concern.

Authority Chief Executive Officer, Puamau Sowane, said from January 1 to date, the Western Division recorded 276 fire incidents, 11 in the Northern Division and 73 in the Central-Eastern Division.

There have been a total of 360 incidents of rubbish, grass and sugarcane fires recorded in all three divisions in the same period.

“There were reports of bush fires in the Western Division in the weekend, but there were none recorded in Rakiraki,” he said.

He said out of the 276 fire incidents recorded in the Western Division, NFA officers attended to 39 rubbish fires,62 sugarcane fires, and 175 bush fires.

“Since September 1, 2022 to date, the Western Division (National Fire Authority) has attended to 57 bush fires which is a major concern for the authority,” he said

Mr Puamau said safety precautions people should follow were:

• Stop lighting fires carelessly because it leads to major bush and sugarcane fires
• Keep all flammable objects away from fire
• Never leave a fire or outdoor cooking unattended
• Carefully dispose hot charcoal
• Wood ashes need to be disposed in a metal bucket or soaked in water before being dumped.

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