A house in Alif Dhaalu atoll Hanyameedhoo caught fire last night, with the house having been burnt entirely to the ground with the fire having raged on for over an hour.
A house in Alif Dhaalu atoll Hanyameedhoo caught fire last night, with the house having been burnt entirely to the ground.
The house was occupied by a 38 year old man who was not at home when the incident occurred, an official from Hanyaameedhoo Council said.
They said that the fire had been spotted at around 21:00 hrs last night. It took responders about two hours to put out the fire.
Residents are of the view that the fire had been caused by an electricity short circuit.
"We focused on controlling the fire so that it does not spread to other buildings. No other houses were damaged. But that house had burnt to the ground by the time we were able to put out the fire," the council official said.
They said that the fire had been put out by residents themselves, with the use of pumps. He voiced concerns that despite their being trained fire fighters on the island, they lacked the necessary resources.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) also posted on social media that the house that had caught fire in Hanyaameedhoo last night had burnt beyond being inhabitable. They said that they are working with the council to provide assistance to the person affected.
However, the council official said that the man had declined temporary shelter when it was offered.
"That's the part of the land that he got after it was divided amongst siblings. It was an extremely old house. He only went there to sleep, he doesn't cook or eat there. He takes meals at a sister's house. We offered him help, but he said family members had offered for him to stay in the residence adjacent to his place, and so declined the offer," they said.
They assured that assistance would be provided in the case that it is needed. The extent of the loss caused by the fire can only be gauged after investigations, they said.
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