Big Rooster loses outlet to fire, no casualties

National, Normal

THE Big Rooster fast-food outlet at Erima in Port Moresby was burned down yesterday after midday.
By about 2pm, the entire top floor of the building that houses the outlet was gone.
Eyewitness accounts suggest the fire started from the outlet’s kitchen and spread quickly to the top floor after wiping out the kitchen area.
The dining area was damaged but not badly as compared to the kitchen and accommodation on top that were smothered by the flames.
Firemen, according to witnesses, arrived at the scene some 30 minutes after the fire started and could not save the building but managed to stop its spread.
Attempts to contact the fast food firm’s management were unsuccessful.
However, a family lost their home and all their belongings to the fire.
Voi Vagi, who is an employee of Big Rooster, lives on the house on top with his wife, five children and another family with two children.
“Everything we have and own has been burnt, we could not save anything,” he said.
Mr Vagi estimated the value of all the items they lost as more than K15,000.
There were no casualties.
He said the fire could have started from a gas leak or an electrical fault.
A local businessman, who was on the scene, meanwhile, raised concerns over the efficiency of the PNG Fire Service.
His concern was whether the service had the capacity to respond promptly and fight fires efficiently.
He also raised concerns about investigations into the fire that gutted the old Burns Philip at Down
Town Port Moresby.
His concern was that the building was burnt last July and since then the PNG Fire Service has not come out on the cause of the fire.
“A landmark in Port Moresby was gutted months ago and we are still waiting to learn what happened, this goes to show the inefficiency of the fire service in all aspects of their operations, they must pull up their socks,” he said.