A major fire disaster that could have resulted in millions of tala of damages was averted on Monday night as firefighters battled to put out a fire that started in the SNPF Plaza in town.

As a result of the fire, the whole SNPF Plaza would be closed on Tuesday.

The plaza houses several companies including Digicel Samoa, Fiji Airways, DMC, and a few others. It is believed that the fire started around 7 pm while most of the buildings were empty.

As the rain poured down on Apia, the firefighters kept on working until late. Our reporter on the ground Faynihanthia found out that the fire had started from the first floor of the building.

“The security officer at the plaza and old Samoa Observer office said the fire could be deliberate. They said someone had broken into Frankie last Saturday around 8 pm and the doors had not been repaired. They said last night (Monday) they heard noises coming from Frankie. They said they then saw smoke coming from the Ministry of Public Enterprise,” she said.

She said this was the security officer’s account however, the firefighters were yet to give an official confirmation on how the fire started whether it was electric or an act of arson.

She said the police had cordoned off the road to allow the firefighters to do their work.

She confirmed that as of 9.30pm last night, there were no reports of injuries but it is believed that the Frankie Supermarket and a few other offices were damaged.

Police and FESA officials were at the scene late last night investigating to find the cause of the fire. 

Fire Commissioner Tanuvasa Petone Mauga confirmed that more than 30 firefighters worked to control the fire. He said they could not identify the cause of the fire as yet and it would take an extensive effort.