Samoa’s Office of the Regulator was destroyed in a fire, Thursday.
The fire is believed to have started from underneath the building at around 1pm.
The Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) responded to a call and its officers were able to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to TV 1 facilities next door.
The Minister of Communication and Information Technology Afamasaga Rico Tupai was grateful that all the staff of the office were able to escape safely from the building.
Firefighters were able to save a satellite dish worth close to $2 million tala, that stood infront of the building.
“The most important thing is that no one has been hurt, and all the staff managed to get out safely”, said the Minister.
He encouraged the staff, and confirmed that external back-up sites of data and information for the Office are all safely stored.
“They just need to open their laptops, open up their back up files, and resume work!”, said the Minister.
The fire spread quickly through the old wooden building that housed the Offices of the Regulator, leaving the staff with no time to grab personal belongings or even car keys of personal vehicles parked near the building.
According to the Minister, the building damage is around ST$200,000 tala.
A double cab pickup that belonged to the office, was also destroyed in the fire.