Fire completely destroys four-bedroom house on Praslin |24 December 2022

An intense fire completely destroyed a four-bedroom house at Pointe Cabris, Praslin yesterday afternoon.

Despite the efforts of the fifteen-strong Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency (SFRSA) crew, faced with intense flames that had taken over the whole residence and lack of water facilities in the area, it took at least an hour and a half to completely put out the flames.

As per Assistant Divisional Officer Antoine Souris, the SFRSA received the call at around 11.55am, it would seem from passersby or persons working in the area, and four of its vehicles were deployed, namely, two water tenders, a pick-up truck and an SUV.

The crew launched the initial attack after arriving onsite around 10 minutes later from their Eve Island base, and had the flames under control within around 45 minutes.

Due to the lack of a water hydrant, the fire crew had no option but to go back and forth, making seven trips some 400 to 500 metres from the fire scene to a water hydrant for refilling purposes.

"The concerned authorities, such as the Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) should install some water hydrants in the area, as water sources are really limited and there are barely any water hydrants in the area," Mr Souris added.

There was nobody at home at the time of the blaze.

For the present time, the cause of the fire has not yet been established, although a formal investigation is underway.

Laura Pillay