Burning of Bee Hives Likely Cause of Fire at Moto’otua Hospital

By Jeannie Penehuro/

Apia, SAMOA – 9 September 2026 – The old oxygen plant building at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital caught fire between 8:30 and 9:00 this morning and the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority (FESA) responded quickly to control the blaze.

FESA Commissioner, Tanuvasa Petone Mauga confirmed that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The building that caught fire was an old storage house used to store oxygen supplies before they were moved to a new facility.

Commissioner Tanuvasa explained that the oxygen tanks stored in the building were empty bottles.

However, investigators suspect that the fire may have been triggered by the burning of bee hives nearby.

The firefighters initially believed the fire started from burning rubbish. However, Tanuvasa stated that when the fire brigade arrived, they encountered bees at the scene.

Authorities are now investigating whether the burning of beehives nearby could have caused the fire.

This morning’s fire prompted Tanuvasa to again warn the public to be vigilant in burning rubbish due to the high volatile situation with the continuing dry season brought by the El Niño phenomenon causing the land more susceptible to fires.

The firefighters managed to contain the spread of the fire and limited the physical damage to the old wooden building impacted by the flames.