16 Sep 2008

Firefighters in Samoa dampen down last hotspots after destructive bush fire

2:38 pm on 16 September 2008

Firefighters and disaster officials in Samoa are now ensuring there are no remaining hot spots from a bush fire on Savaii that damaged more than two thousand acres of bushland.

Rain yesterday and this morning has helped to put out the blaze, after the acting Prime Minister last night extended a state of emergency by 48 hours.

Principal Disaster Management Officer Filomena Nelson says the rain meant they did not have to evacuate residents of A'opo and Asau villages which had been threatened by the fire.

"What we're doing now is to...we're currently doing a mop up of the affected areas so we have sent response teams up to affected areas to assess the areas and ensure all the hotspots are fully extinguished before we declare the area safe. 19"

Samoa's Principal Disaster Management Officer Filomena Nelson

Police are continuing their investigations into the cause and officials are now estimating the financial damage caused by the fire.