$8M Warehouse Fire in Suva: Female Firefighter Injured, Poor Water Pressure causes Delay

A full investigation is underway into the massive fire that destroyed the Gokal Group warehouse in Suva’s Amy Street early Saturday morning.

The National Fire Authority confirmed an estimated $8 million in damages and serious firefighting challenges that included locked shutters and low water pressure.

The fire broke out just after midnight on July 26 and took nearly nine hours to bring under control. A female firefighter was injured during the operation and later discharged from hospital.

According to the National Fire Authority (NFA), the blaze was reported at 12.40am via a 910 emergency call from a member of the public. Suva firefighters arrived on scene within six minutes to find the warehouse locked and smoke billowing out.

“Firefighters got to work using breaking tools (bolt cutter, spreader and crowbar) to open a gap at the entrance to the bonded area, that allowed a senior firefighter to crawl in,” the NFA said.

Inside, crews found a forklift with the key still in the ignition. It was used to raise the roller shutter so firefighters could enter and fight the flames.

But as the battle continued, fire crews encountered a critical issue — weak water supply.

“The reports I’ve received indicate a few challenges that affected the firefighters’ efforts to control and extinguish the fire,” NFA Chief Executive Officer Puamau Sowane said.

“One was accessibility into the building, the fire load inside the building, including electrical appliances stored in the warehouse and low water pressure during critical time of firefighting.”

He said the lack of adequate water supply severely hindered their work.

“This has been a longstanding issue faced by firefighters. Water is our main tool for firefighting. I have been saying this, and I will say it again that we can have the latest firefighting machines and the best skilled firefighters in the world but without good water supply, all becomes useless,” Mr Sowane said.

“Every standing fire hydrant should have the capacity to discharge water at a rate of 1000 litres per minute to enable our firefighters to effectively fight fires.”

He called for urgent upgrades to the city’s water infrastructure.

“We must seriously look at increasing the water mains diameter that feeds all the fire hydrants, particularly within the city, town and fire boundaries, and in build-up areas. We cannot overemphasize the importance of having all fire hydrants feeding directly from the water main for effective firefighting.”

The blaze spread close to neighbouring buildings, including the Fiji Elections Office (FEO), where flames reached the top floor that houses its IT division. Firefighters broke into the back of the FEO building and extinguished the fire before it could spread further.

The FEO headquarters has since been closed for an indefinite period while assessments continue.

Mr Sowane also criticised the lack of fire alert systems in commercial buildings.

“These units are hooked to our National Command Centre and any hint of smoke or heat sends an alarm from the ASE unit to our Command Centre and allows firefighters to arrive early and put out fires at its initial stages,” he said.

“Neither the Gokal Group nor Narhari Group head office across the road had the units installed. The Fiji Elections Office has a unit installed, but it has not been maintained. It was fortunate that the firefighters managed to cut off the fires and preventing it from spreading to adjacent buildings including the election office.”

Despite the odds, Mr Sowane commended the response crews for their determination.

“I salute them for being equal to the task despite the difficulties faced during the operation. It was unfortunate that a female firefighter was injured in the process, but she was treated by doctors and is back on duty. It is part of being a firefighter.”

In total, 36 firefighters, seven senior officers, five fire trucks, three utility vehicles and one ambulance were deployed to fight the fire.

The warehouse was insured. Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the fire.