A fire broke out in an apartment in Sainte-Marie early Saturday evening. The three residents were able to leave the apartment that was destroyed by the flames. The fire was an accident, according to police. The family is relocated by the City Hall of Nouméa.
Three dead animals and a destroyed apartment, that is the result of the fire on Saturday evening in the Sainte-Marie district. The fire brigade was alerted around 5:40 p.m. by numerous calls. Captain Anthony Guepy, head of the Nouméa fire brigade squad, explains the resources used.
“We hired six vehicles with 17 firefighters… an apartment on the second floor of a building was on fire and the flames started shooting out of the windows,” says the captain.
The fire brigade fought the fire from the inside. “The bedroom was devastated by the flames and the rest of the apartment by the smoke. We have done everything necessary to prevent the fire from spreading through the windows to the adjacent apartments,” he said.
The fire caused extensive damage to the apartment, which is now uninhabitable. The family, a father and his children, were therefore temporarily relocated by City Hall for the weekend before finding accommodation.
“We assume that the apartment is no longer habitable. The smoke deposit on the walls remains toxic to residents,” says Captain Anthony Guepy.
The CCAS of the city of Noumea will then support the family in finding accommodation.
The fire was brought under control around 7 p.m. by the Noumea fire department. An investigation is underway, but police are moving toward a random origin, she told us.