| Azlan Othman |
BRUNEI saw 51 fire mishaps in the first half of this year that resulted in a total loss of property worth $7.14 million.
Of this, 31 are house fires and 20 building blazes, said Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Yahya bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Director of Fire and Rescue yesterday.
On the sidelines of a briefing to explain the precautionary measures to be taken in view of Hari Raya celebrations, he told the media that losses due to fire incidents in the first six months of this year (January 9 to June) have almost levelled the total losses throughout last year at $7.65 million.
The department received 51 emergency calls regarding house and building fires this year, he said, adding that one person died in one of the mishaps.
“The big early dawn fire that ravaged RPN Kg Mentiri Mosque in early April caused losses of over $3 million. It has also affected worshippers residing around the National Housing Scheme area. But Alhamdulillah, a new mosque has been completed at the same area,” he said.
According to the director, many residential houses are not equipped with fire extinguishers, fire blankets and smoke detectors, thus exposing them to high fire risk. The country will see more blaze incidents unless positive steps are taken by house owners to prevent fire outbreaks, he noted.
“With proper awareness and by installing necessary fire prevention equipment, we could reduce the number of fire occurrences, losses, injuries and deaths. To avoid fire incidents, people should give utmost importance to safety aspects. Preventive measures are needed not just during the upcoming festive Hari Raya but throughout the year,” the director said.
Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Yahya bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Director of Fire and Rescue during the briefing. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
Statistics have shown that the Fire and Rescue Department received 103 emergency calls in 2014, of which 52 calls involved house fires and 51 building fires. A total of $8.66 million worth of property was lost in these mishaps that also saw five people dead.
Meanwhile, 2015 saw 77 house fires and 39 building fires. Total losses recorded were $11.56 million with one death.
In 2016, 83 house fires and 47 building fires occurred and total losses amounted to $7.65 million with one death.
According to the director, the common causes of fires include cooking left unattended, electrical overload, faulty equipment, poor wiring and children playing with fire and so on.
The Fire and Rescue Department continues to step up safety measures in the country to reduce and prevent the occurrence of fires by carrying out several programmes in a phased manner, he said.
The first phase is for gathering information and risk assessment. The second phase involves roadshows on fire safety, the programme to install fire extinguishers at strategic locations and visits by personnel from the department. The third phase involves strengthening of fire volunteers, integrated training and fire hydrant infrastructure system enhancement according to operational needs, the director added.
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