Cause of Labasa house fire still unknown

The cause of a fire that destroyed a three-bedroom house in Salusalu, Namara, nearly two weeks ago remains under investigation, leaving a man who had invested in the property waiting for answers.

The National Fire Authority (NFA) confirmed investigations are continuing after the timber-and-corrugated iron house, valued at about $45,000, was completely destroyed.

The house was vacant when the fire broke out and no injuries or fatalities were reported.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the NFA's report would be crucial in determining the cause of the fire and how the case would be classified.

Ms Naisoro said the NFA was the expert agency responsible for investigating the causes of fires.

Abdul Hamid, who had been working towards owning the property, said he learnt about the fire while he was away on Friday.

Mr Hamid said the house belonged to his stepmother and had been rented out, but the tenants were not home when the fire started.

"The house had three bedrooms. I paid $15,000 and another $15,000 was left to be paid, then I would be able to own the property and the house," he said.

Mr Hamid said he believed the fire may have been caused by an exploding gas cylinder, but stressed the official cause had not been confirmed.

He said Police and NFA officers responded quickly and firefighters prevented the blaze from spreading to neighbouring properties.

Mr Hamid is seeking assistance and can be contacted on 9968646.

NFA's Labasa Fire Station received the emergency call through the National Command Centre (910) at 11.48am, with firefighters arriving shortly afterwards.

The single-storey house was fully engulfed in flames when crews reached the scene.

Firefighters used multiple hoses to bring the blaze under control, with water top-ups carried out throughout the operation.

NFA chief executive officer Puamau Sowane said the authority had recorded an increase in fires involving vacant residential properties.

"We are seeing an increasing number of fires occurring in vacant homes, and this is a worrying trend. Many people assume that an unoccupied house is safe from fire, but that is simply not the case," Mr Sowane said.

He urged property owners to regularly inspect vacant homes, check electrical systems, remove combustible materials and ensure their properties were secure.

Mr Sowane also reminded the public to report fires immediately by calling 910, saying early notification gave firefighters the best chance of containing a blaze.