A major fire broke out yesterday morning in a multistoried building located on Prince Street, Pettah.
Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Chief Fire Officer of the CMC Fire Service Department Rohantha Fernando said fire had started around 10.45 am in a shop located on the third floor of the building. Firefighters battled the blaze for over four hours, eventually bringing it under control and dousing it.
While no lives were harmed, the third floor of the building suffered extensive damage as a result of the blaze. Shops in the area had been open for business when the incident occurred.
“We were able to bring the fire under control within 30 minutes and contain it so that it does not spread to surrounding shops” Fernando said adding that the fire brigade faced difficulties in dousing the fire as the shop had housed plastics items such as toys.
The Fire Brigade had deployed 10 fire trucks to douse the fire.
According to Fernando the cause of the fire is yet to be determined by the Government Analyst Department. “It is difficult to make a guess at the cause of the fire as the building is in an extremely congested area” he said adding that therefore various reasons could have contributed to it.
However, according to sources currently the fire is suspected to have erupted due to an electrical fault in the building.