27 Oct 2014

Lack of gear hampers PNG firefighters

10:42 am on 27 October 2014

The acting police commissioner in the Papua New Guinea city of Mt Hagen says something needs to be done to bring the city's fire department up to an operational standard.

A fire spread through the town's centre last Wednesday night, destroying about eight buildings and prompting looting that resulted in one person dying in subsequent clashes.

Martin Lakari says the fire took over six hours to bring under control because only one of the three fire trucks sent to the scene was able to spray water.

"If the firefighters had the capacity to fight the fire then some of the buildings would have been saved."

Martin Lakari says something needs to be done to improve the Fire Service in Mt Hagen.