Firm rules out blackouts as cause of fires in city

 BLACKOUTS have been ruled out as the cause of fires that gutted three buildings in Lae over the past two months, PNG Power Ltd said in a statement yesterday. 

The electricity company released a statement in response to a newspaper report quoting Community Development Minister and Lae MP Loujaya Kouza on Wednesday claiming the fires in her electorate were caused by blackouts. 

“With due respect to the minister (Kouza), she doesn’t have any basis in terms of single-handedly finger-pointing PPL for all the fires that have happened,” chief executive officer John Tangit said.

“PNG Power Ltd categorically denies what the Lae MP has said.

“This response is based on preliminary investigations carried out by PPL inspectors based in Lae.”

Tangit said in all the three fires, PPL’s response time to the call was less than five minutes in isolating supply to the buildings on fire.

He said power supply to those three properties was healthy until isolated straight after a call was received at the PPL 24-hour call centre. 

“The fact that the electricity supply was intact at the time of fire is proof that the blackouts are not the cause of fire as alleged.”

He said possible causes the investigation team had come up with were: 

• Additional loads added to all installations without being approved by PPL inspectors;
• Natural causes: Earth tremors, earthquakes and movement of heavy equipment in the vicinity of the properties causing loose connections to wiring leading to hot spots in the switchboard/installations;
• wear and tear of insulation of installation wiring and building materials over time, and, 
• Property owners’ general housekeeping standards. The dusty road conditions of Lae contributing to the build-up of dust can contribute to any electrical sparks on the installations and wiring.

He said PPL ensured its customers’ safety was of the highest priority.