A FIRE which destroyed a home on Saturday afternoon has pushed the total number of structural fires to four so far this year.
This was confirmed in a statement by the National Fire Authority (NFA) yesterday, which also highlighted the need for the public to take fire warnings more seriously.
"Fire is the most dangerous disaster and we are urging members of the community to give due respect and recognition to the dangers of fires," said NFA's chief executive officer, John O'Connor.
He said people's attitude towards fires needed to change.
"We must take the dangers of fires seriously. We must include fire safety discussion in our family meetings, church gatherings and village and community meetings.
"We must be proactive in relation to fire safety to prevent fires since we are still in control.
"When a fire starts, we are no longer in control and cannot determine the devastating impact and outcome of a fire," he said.
The recent house-fire was on Bau Rd outside Nausori, making it the fourth house for 2013.
On Friday night, a house fire at Waiyavi Stage 5 in Lautoka left 15 people homeless.
The NFA is working with police to ascertain the cause of the fires in Lautoka and Nausori.
Last year, NFA recorded 95 structural fires, many of which were to homes around the country.
In an earlier statement, the NFA said people were not taking heed of the repeated advice on fire safety.