The town of Mendi, the provincial capital of the Southern Highlands province was on fire over the weekend when two separate fire incidents burnt and destroyed business houses and properties on Friday and then on Saturday.

Residents who witnessed the incidents alleged that electrical faults were to blame, and with the intensity of the fires, the authority on ground called for emergency assistance from the Mt Hagen Fire Service to stop the damage from getting even worse.

The first fire broke out around 3:00am early Friday morning on December 19th, affecting business premises in the main Mendi Town area, including Pisggah Supermarket.

Resident eyewitness living nearby said the fire spread fast, catching the town off guard while most people were still asleep.

The second fire struck on Saturday night on December 20th between 7:00pm and 8:00pm in the evening, destroying additional buildings in areas including Emeck Bakery and Kopiri Supermarket.

Once again, the eyewitnesses alleged the fires start from electrical problems, with power connections suspected as the trigger. However, authorities have yet to officially confirm the cause.

The fires caused widespread damage to local businesses already struggling through a tough year.

Meanwhile, the Mt Hagen Fire Service later assisted in extinguishing the fires, helping to prevent further spread.

Security personnel were also credited for stopping the flames from reaching BSP Bank, which narrowly escaped damage while chaos unfolded around it.

Authorities have yet released an official damage assessment, but the incident has left several business owners counting their losses just days before Christmas.

As clean-ups continue, authorities are expected to assess the damage and look at ways to prevent a repeat of such devastation in the future.