The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced yesterday that the plaques of “over 10” columbarium niches for holding urns in a public cemetery were blackened by smoke yesterday afternoon, in response to which it has reported the incident to the police.
In a follow-up statement last night, the Judiciary Police (PJ) said that they have launched an investigation into the case in which 17 columbarium niches had been blackened by smoke in “varying degrees”.
The case occurred in Nossa Senhora da Piedade Cemetery (望廈聖母墳場) in the peninsula, located between Avenida do Coronel Mesquita (美副將大馬路) and Montanha Russa Garden (螺絲山公園).
The city has six public cemeteries, comprising two each in the Macau peninsula, Taipa island, and Coloane island.
An IAM statement yesterday evening said that when IAM officials were carrying out a regular inspection in Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Our Lady of Mercy) Cemetery yesterday afternoon, they found that the plaques of “over 10” niches in one of the columbaria there had been blackened by smoke.
The statement said that the bureau has reported the incident to the police requesting that they carry out an investigation.
The bureau has been contacting the families of the respective deceased.
The statement urged those who pay tribute to their ancestors in public cemeteries to always use the joss paper burners set up there for burning their offerings, after which they should only leave after confirming that all flames have been completely extinguished, the statement said.
Last night’s PJ statement said that shortly before 4 p.m., cemetery staff found a fire near some columbarium niches and called the emergency services, the firefighters arrived at the scene when the fire had gone out.
The PJ statement said that PJ confirmed that 17 columbarium niches had been blackened by smoke to “varying degrees”.
No one was injured in the incident, the statement said, adding that the police launched an investigation into the case.
This handout photo released by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows an IAM inspector checking some of the columbarium niches blackened by smoke in Nossa Senhora da Piedade Cemetery yesterday.
