Photos by Lisa J. Molloy

Neiafu was hit with three major fires and Severe Tropical Cyclone Ula in one week, but incredibly no lives were lost, Lisa Molloy reported from Vava’u.

The three fires broke out in the middle of the night.

Early on Christmas morning, December 25 the Neiafu Shopping Centre was gutted by fire. It is understood the business owners also lived in the building.

Lisa said that there were two other fires. In the early hours of Saturday January 3 the home of ‘Isi Fakatulolo, located next to his bakery was razed. On the following night the fire service put out a fire that broke out in the magistrate’s flat, in a house located next to the Neiafu Court House.

Lisa said the fires endangered people who were sleeping in the bakery house. “It was incredible that everybody is alive. One family lost everything, ‘Isi Fakatulolo lost the whole house,” she said.

$600,000 damage

Fire Commissioner, Lofia Heimuli, in Nuku’alofa said this morning he had received reports of two of the fires, so far.

The Neiafu Shopping Centre, a Chinese-owned retail business on Hala Tu’i Neiafu, was gutted by fire that broke out at about 3:00am on December 25. Damage is estimated at $600,000 to the shop and home.

A second fire at around 4:00am on Sunday January 3, broke out in a vacant flat usually occupied by the Chief Magistrate Paula Tatafu, in a house at Kameli. The magistrate was away at the time. The fire service managed to put out the fire in the flat and contained the damage to the house.

Lofia said both fires appeared to be accidental but the causes had not been identified. Meanwhile, he had not received a report of the fire in the house next to the ‘Isi Bakery.

Cyclone Ula

Power services were shut down in Vava’u when Severe Tropical Cyclone Ula (category 3) passed close to the north of Vava’u on the morning of Saturday January 3.

The damage was less than expected, reported Lisa, an owner of the Tropicana Café in Neiafu.

“It was remarkable, we were very lucky and it went past at quite a good speed,” she said this morning.

“Everything is really good, most of the damage we had was crops, with a lot of bananas down and a few trees. We were out of power and some places are still out of power until today. But yesterday [Sunday] they worked all day to clear it up.

“A few places lost tin on their roofs, but most of the damage is just the crops.”

Lisa said it was unfortunate when the cyclone hit Vava’u it affected the food supply because the breadfruit and bananas were knocked down.

“Before Christmas we had another storm, so all the mangoes and avocados have gone – it is very hard here when it’s so dry. But after the cyclone we had a good day of pouring down rain,” she said.