Fire engulfed the Marshall Islands Nitijela (Parliament building) just after midnight on last night with firefighters risking their lives as they battled the blaze early today in a bid to save the complex.

“Sometime around midnight or shortly after this morning, the Parliament building in Majuro caught fire, started burning,” RNZ Pacific’s correspondent in the Marshall Islands Giff Johnson said.

“The fire department here is pretty nonexistent, except for an airport fire fighting team, which was called in, but they weren’t able to get there for over an hour.”

Johnson said the building was completely engulfed by the time the fire truck arrived on site.

He said the Parliament chamber and offices, the library and all the archives, “have been all destroyed”.

“Everything’s wiped out. All the records are gone,” he said.

“A lot of the structure, which is concrete, is still standing, but it’s now noontime (Tuesday, NZT), and it’s still smoking. Firefighters are still on site, trying to quell it.

‘Alternative plans’
“The building is no longer usable, and already, alternative plans are being talked about, about where they’re going to hold Parliament, because Parliament is actually in session right now.

“Fortunately, the fire started late overnight so no indication that anybody was harmed.”

Johnson said the Marshall Islands did not have much capacity in firefighting and fire inspection processes, making it difficult to determine the cause of the fire.

He said a lot of entities in the Marshall Islands did not have back-ups and it would take people weeks to figure out what they had lost and what they could access.

“From purely a records point of view, and just getting their system back up and running, it’s going to be a while because everything has been digitised at the Parliament, and it’s a really complicated situation.”

The Marshall Islands Cabinet was holding an emergency meeting and was expected to make a statement later today.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

As drivers and pedestrians continued on their daily business yesterday afternoon in Papua New Guinea’s capital city Port Moresby, a cry went out as someone yelled “fire”.

Located along Gabaka Street, Gordons, and within a compound that houses L and G Trading Limited Hardware Store and Bola Motors, a fire erupted from one of the warehouses.

Bystanders risked their lives to get to the location of the fire quickly.

The black smoke drew the eye of drivers as traffic crawled to a stop for people to catch a glimpse of the fire.

Oil trickled down onto the ground and the fire rapidly spread.

As the smoke continued, the fire trucks arrived and the firefighters not only battled to stop the blaze but also to stop the oil from spreading.

The fire was controlled by the firefighters with St John Ambulance arriving to provide first aid to anyone who had come in contact with the burning building and smoke.

Police were also at the scene providing traffic control.

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

A man has been arrested and charged in relation to the fatal fire at Loafers Lodge in the capital Wellington’s Newtown suburb on Monday night when at least six people died.

Authorities say it may be days before a final death toll is known. Two bodies were recovered from the scene today.

In a statement tonight, police said a man had been arrested earlier in the afternoon and charged with two counts of arson.

The investigation into the fire was ongoing and police said they could not rule out further, more serious charges in relation to the deaths at the scene.

Acting Wellington district commander Inspector Dion Bennett said police were not seeking anyone else in relation to the fire.

The arrested man is set to appear in Wellington District Court tomorrow.

Loafers Lodge is a 92-room boarding house close to Wellington Hospital and it accommodated residents from vulnerable and marginalised communities — including those on welfare and disability pensions — as well as hospital workers.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The headquarters of the Malvatumauri of National Council of Chiefs of Vanuatu has burned down.

The fire broke out about 1am Monday local time.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire in Port Vila.

The Malvatumauri nakamal is a custom parliament for all Vanuatu’s chiefs.

“This nakamal was the identity of the people of Vanuatu. It symbolised the unity of the custom of the Vanuatu and the law, peace and order of communities in Vanuatu,” said Chief Willie Plasua.

He told all chiefs around the country that while it was a major loss, it was only temporary.

“Custom, culture and tradition will never die and we will rebuild our headquarters,” Plasua said.

RNZ Pacific correspondent Hilaire Bule said the cost of the nakamal was more than 100 million vatu (US$850,000) and was co-financed by the Vanuatu and Australian governments.

The house was built with local materials to house the members of Malvatumauri during their annual general meeting.

An eyewitness, Sylverio Molkis, said on seeing the fire he made several phone calls to the fire brigade but could not get through.

“I also called the police but there was no answer and I had to go myself to the fire station to tell them about the blaze,” he said.

Only two buildings housing the administration offices of the Malvatumauri have survived.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Fiji police have warned that any attempts to destabilise and cause instability will be investigated and dealt with, reports The Fiji Times.

The warning came from Acting Commissioner Police Rusiate Tudravu yesterday in the wake of two major fires in Ba and Raiwai at the weekend.

He claimed some Fijians were quick to use the two fires to incite violence and rally more support against the government, claiming they were linked.

He said people instigating movements of violence and instability from overseas or hiding behind “fake profiles” on social media were selfish and self-centred because any acts of violence would only lead to more suffering.

The fires destroyed the Central Arcade in Ba and Tappoos warehouse in Raiwai, Suva, on Sunday night.

Talebula Kate of The Fiji Times reports that the Ba blaze is a major loss to the affected businesses during these challenging times.

Museum, town hall undamaged
Minister of Local Government Premila Kumar said the National Fire Authority (NFA) fire-fighters were quite responsive and managed to save the museum and town hall.

“There has been no damage to these facilities. Despite the windy weather conditions, the quick and efficient effort by our NFA team is appreciated,” she said.

“The outstanding continuous work by our firefighters is commendable, as the impact of the fire could have been extremely detrimental.

“Unfortunately, the cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage and the cost of the damage is yet to be determined.

“Out of the eight shops in the arcade, six shops had tenants and were occupied.

“The arcade accommodated a fish store, a saloon/billiard room, a second hand clothing store, an electrical appliance shop, and two restaurants.”

Eight market vendors were also housed at the arcade.

Handicraft vendors
“These vendors were situated at the SME Market at the arcade and were selling curios and handicraft for their livelihood,” the minister said.

“It is rather disturbing to note that all their stock was destroyed by the fire.

“The number of fires in the country is alarming and becoming a concern. As per the statistics from NFA, there have been 57 fire incidents from 1 January to 1 August 2021,” Kumar vsaid.

“Fifty five were residential fire incidents and two were commercial fires, including [Sunday]’s incident. Sadly, there have been four deaths in the residential fire incidents so far this year; three in Nadi and one at Tacirua.

“We would like to reiterate that we need to be responsible and keep our homes and commercial properties fire-safe at all times,” the minister said.

The Ba Central Arcade Building was a 17-year-old structure and was insured after a valuation of the properties carried out in 2020.

Nevertheless, the Ba Town Council has a loan of approximately F$1.6 million (NZ$1.1 million), which needs to be paid off.

The council has been directed to work on practicable strategies to pay off the exorbitant amount of loan considering the difficult times we are in right now.

Republished with permission.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

The Fiji Police Force and the National Fire Authority are currently investigating two separate fires that broke out last night — at the Central Arcade in Ba and at Tappoos warehouse in Raiwai.

Police say the first report of fire was received at the Ba Police Station before 8pm and the second fire outbreak was reported at the Raiwaqa Police Station after 11pm.

“A security officer rang and notified police of a fire at the Ba Central Arcade whereby eight shops were destroyed,” a police spokesman said.

“The fire is believed to have started on the second floor; however this is subject to investigations.”

Ba is a town near Lautoka, in western Viti Levu.

Fire breaks out at Ba Town market arcade; firefighters at the scene https://t.co/rY0mZhpHJE #FijiTimesNews #FijiTimesOnline #FijiNews

— The Fiji Times (@fijitimes) August 1, 2021

“NFA and police officers attended to the scene at the Tappoos warehouse, Carpenters St, Raiwai,” the police spokesman said.

Raiwai is a surburb of the capital Suva. The cause of fire is yet to be determined.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

By Claire Smith and Jordan Ralph
 
A wonderful icon has been largely destroyed by fire. However, we should not despair.

Part of the reason this loss is so upsetting is because we are immersed in a Western way of thinking that equates authenticity with preserving the original materials used to create an object or building.

But not all societies think like this. Some have quite different notions of what is authentic.

Iconic buildings such as the Catherine Palace in Russia and Japan’s historic monuments of Ancient Nara have been successfully restored, sometimes after great damage, and are today appreciated by millions of people.

The preamble to the International Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites, (the Venice Charter 1964), states that, “Imbued with a message from the past, the historic monuments of generations of people remain to the present day as living witnesses of their age-old traditions … It is our duty to hand them on in the full richness of their authenticity”.

Liberation’s front page today.

But in our diverse world, the definition and assessment of authenticity is a complex matter. The World Heritage Convention guidelines state that properties may be understood to meet the conditions of authenticity if their cultural values “are truthfully and credibly expressed”.

Accordingly, a building’s authenticity is determined in relation to its location and setting, use and function, spirit and feeling, and well as form and materials.

Japan’s NaraTodaiji. Wikimedia Japan’s historic monuments of Ancient Nara – comprised of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and the excavated remains of the great Imperial Palace – provide important insights into the nation’s capital during the 8th century.

These buildings are not less authentic because they were extensively restored after the enactment of the Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law in 1897.

A palace gutted
The Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo (Pushkin), south of Petersburg, was gutted during the Second World War.

When Russian people first saw the damage, they must have despaired.

Nevertheless, the government provided the resources to allow room-by-room restorations.

The restoration of the Amber Room, one of the most famous palace interiors of the 18th century, is a triumph.

Panels that had been looted by the Nazis were recreated over 25 years with an investment of $11 million. Today, the Palace is fully restored, a spectacular icon that attracts millions of visitors a year.

What about the relics and artworks?

The fire at Notre Dame has endangered a vast collection of Christian relics and artworks housed within the building and on its grounds, including the Crown of Thorns.

First responders saved many, but not all, objects. We do not yet know which ones have survived.

Does the argument regarding authenticity also apply to these relics and precious artworks? Well, yes and no.

There are two scenarios. The first is that the relics and artworks are partially damaged by fire, smoke and falling building materials. Within this scenario, the focus will be on restoration – and marvellous things can occur in the realm of materials conservation.

The second scenario is that relics or artworks are virtually, or entirely, destroyed. Within this scenario, the artworks can only be replicated, not restored. Such replication would have a precarious tie to the original works.

From the viewpoint of restoration, there is a crucial difference between portable and non-portable artefacts. Other than those that were part of the fabric of the building, the relics and artworks were not made on site.

The building itself, however, has a continuity of identity and function through being located within a specific landscape.

What now for Notre Dame?
One way forward is to use the Venice Charter (1964) to guide restoration. This would mean that the new materials used in preserving this historic structure would be kept distinguishable from the original construction.

Another way forward would be to restore the structure in a similar manner to that of Catherine I’s palace, in which an untutored eye finds it difficult to distinguish between the old and new parts of the structure.

Given the extent of the damage, this would be the more aesthetically pleasing and less jarring approach. Unlike other places of deep cultural significance, which may be destroyed forever due to commercial development, Notre Dame can be rebuilt.

With modern technology, it is entirely possible for the cathedral to be recreated with near-accuracy to the original. We can do this and keep the previous building’s spirit and feeling.

Dr Claire Smith, Professor of Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University. Jordan Ralph is a PhD candidate in  Archaeology, Flinders University.  Disclosure statement: Jordan Ralph receives funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Flinders University to support his research. This article is from The Conversation and is republished on a Creative Commons licence.

• ‘Our lady of tears’ – what the papers say about the Notre-Dame fire
• France mourns, contemplates extent of damage to iconic Notre-Dame