Inspectors to assess cause of Manus fire

TWO PNG Fire Service inspectors will be in Manus today to investigate the fire last week which killed 10 people.
PNG Fire Service chief Bill Roo said the inspectors would find out what caused the fire which destroyed a supermarket.
Six women and four men, believed to be Chinese nationals, were trapped inside the building when it went up in flames early Friday in one of the province’s worst disasters.
Roo said according to reports he received, the Splendid Star Supermarket in Lorengau caught fire at about 3am and quickly engulfed the entire building.
“The 10 people, believed to be Chinese, were trapped in the building by the fire and died,” he said.
“We do not have a fire service in the province.”
Roo said people should take fire seriously.
“We need to protect families, homes and business houses, not only in the cities, but in the provinces as well,” Roo said.
“There are over 10 provinces that have no fire emergency services due to funding issues.”
He said the provincial government and administration must make it a priority to work with the PNG Fire Service to build and maintain fire stations.