Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A fire gutted the facility located behind the main Police Headquarters in Fagatogo, the structure that houses holding cells for individuals awaiting court appearances or transfer to the Tafuna Correctional Facility. The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon at about 2 p.m., just meters from the Fagatogo Fire Station, which has been closed for more than a month due to unsanitary conditions and fire‑safety hazards.

According to a reliable source, the fire had been burning for some time before it was noticed, with thick plumes of black smoke rising from the building and alerting police officers and nearby residents.

With Fire Division personnel and fire trucks relocated from the Fagatogo station to the Tafuna station, time was of the essence. A member of the Fire Division said they were notified of the blaze at about 2:20 p.m. and arrived on scene at roughly 2:55 p.m.

Fortunately, one of their senior officers happened to be in town when the fire broke out. He immediately contacted a colleague who was driving in from Atu'u, and together they opened the old Fagatogo headquarters, where one fire engine had been left behind. They began battling the blaze from there, joined by police officers who assisted in their efforts to contain the fire.

The blaze was eventually contained with the arrival of Fire Division personnel from the Tafuna station, who responded with two smaller fire engines. Those units were placed on standby as additional manpower joined the effort, and the fire was successfully extinguished with their combined assistance.

About three‑quarters of the facility were destroyed in the blaze, which intensified when the flames reached the electrical wiring. According to a reliable source who spoke on condition of anonymity, had the Fagatogo Fire Station still been in operation, the extent of the damage would have been significantly less.

According to reports, inmates had been held inside the building, and it is suspected they may have been responsible for causing the blaze. Attempts to reach the Commissioner of Police for confirmation were unsuccessful.

On May 26, the Environmental Health Services Division of the Department of Health closed the Fagatogo Fire Station due to unsanitary conditions and fire‑safety hazards.

Division Manager Aileen Solaita said her team inspected the station after receiving calls that the facility was unsafe for employees, citing dirty, unclean bathrooms and, most concerning, unsafe electrical wiring. She explained that wiring had been connected to power outlets just inches above a floor repeatedly soaked by leaks. “Just a spark would have started a fire right in the fire station,” she said.

Solaita added that the bathrooms appeared as though they had never been cleaned, with toilets and sinks in filthy condition.