A major fire that turned the skies over Vaitele charcoal grey on Monday afternoon was still burning into the evening, with the cause yet to be confirmed.

The $10 million Frankie Supermarket in Vaitele, which was officially opened in 2016, was destroyed by fire, which started around 1 pm on Monday.

The Samoa Observer spoke to Fire Commissioner Tanuvasa Petone Mauga at about 6:30 pm while he was still at the scene before leaving for a meeting. At the time, he said the fire was still active and that about 40 to 50 firefighters had been deployed.

“We're still fighting the fire at this stage,” he said. Smoke was still visible from the Frankie site at about 7:15 pm on Monday. He was at the scene from 2 pm.

When asked what started the fire, the commissioner said it was too early to confirm and that authorities were still working to ensure everyone had been safely evacuated.

“At this stage, we don't have any information about the number of people,” he said.

Tanuvasa said an investigation would begin only after the fire was fully extinguished.

“For the investigation to be completed, we need to make sure that the fire is completely out and then any search and rescue that needs to be recovered, and then we will start the investigation," he said.

He added that there were conflicting accounts about how the fire began when asked if it started on the second floor.

“We haven't found out yet where it started. There are quite a few pieces of information that contradict on how the fire started,” he said.

The Samoa Observer was at the scene when multiple people walked into the Bank of South Pacific, which is housed in the same building, and they were wearing helmets for safety as they entered. When asked about whether money was stored in a vault, Tanuvasa said, “‘Banks always have somewhere to store the money.’”

Questions about whether it was saved were redirected to the Bank of South Pacific.

In an interview, Frankie Supermarket director Frankie Cai said he did not know what caused the fire but confirmed that staff who were inside the building were safe. He also confirmed to the Samoa Observer that the building is insured. Cai declined to answer further questions, saying he was in a meeting.

Workers from Hungry Franks said they saw the fire, which started on the second level of the building at around 1 pm.

Tauamanu Alapapa, a Hungry Franks worker, said he was in the butchery cutting chicken when the fire broke out. He said he rushed to the front of the building and tried to alert his boss, who was not there at the time.

“We all came out, and my first thought was to let my boss know, but my boss wasn’t there. We evacuated, but then my coworker and I thought about saving the cashier till. I thought that if I brought out the till, we would still be able to get our pay from our boss,” he said.

He said workers are now waiting to hear what will happen next, and he hopes to secure work at another branch to support his family. He also expressed appreciation for the firefighters at the scene.

Manu Crawley, who was scheduled to start her shift at 2 pm, said she was shocked to see her workplace on fire. She said she was meant to come in earlier, but had been at the hospital.

“I don't know where to go now,” she said.

Junior Sanerivi, a Bluebird worker who was on the roof when the fire started, said he and his coworkers moved their equipment away from the side closest to the Frankie building to prevent it from catching fire. That side narrowly escaped the flames, though the Samoa Observer observed that nearby trees caught fire.

Police blocked the road between Frankie and CCK in Vaitele, causing major traffic delays as fire trucks moved in and out to refill tanks. The road remained blocked off later on in the evening. Bystanders remained nearby watching firefighters continue their work.