BRIEFS: Turtle heat lamp causes balcony fire

A 12-year-old girl managed to escape from her apartment on Monday after its balcony caught fire. Information suggests that the incident took place at about 12:10 p.m. It took the firefighters ten minutes to break into the apartment extinguish the fire. The authorities also dispatched a turntable ladder to combat the fire. The Fire Services Bureau later revealed that there was a young girl in the apartment, who escaped from the scene soon after she noticed the fire on the balcony. Around 50 residents at the building were also evacuated. After investigating the incident, the authorities believed that a heat lamp for turtles on the balcony had short-circuited and caused the fire, which was exacerbated by redecoration materials that were placed near the lamp.

Cold weather and showers during Christmas

The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) has reminded residents to put on extra clothes when heading out to celebrate Christmas Eve. The bureau predicted that the temperature during the Christmas period between December 24 and 26 will remain between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius, with scattered showers forecasted. SMG explained that the cold and cloudy weather is caused by the winter monsoon that is currently affecting the south China coast. The bureau also predicted that it will become more cloudy in the following days, with chilly mornings expected. SMG has reminded residents to pay attention to the changes in the weather conditions. According to the bureau’s forecast, the sun will be shining again for the beginning of next week, although the minimum temperatures will remain in the low-teens.

Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture webpage

The Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture has opened a new Internet page (www.gsasc.gov.mo) with Chinese and Portuguese versions. In a welcome message, the newly appointed Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam states that the webpage is open for residents to post their opinions and suggestions. The page also features the Secretariat organogram as well as other relevant information. In his previous functions as gov’t spokesperson (www.gce.gov.mo) and chief of cabinet of the CE (www.gce.gov.mo), Alexis Tam resourced to Internet sites to disseminate related information.