One person has died and two others were injured in a fire at the Soysapura housing scheme in Moratuwa on Wednesday evening, police said.
The blaze broke out at about 7.00 p.m. in Block ‘C’ of the housing complex, the Daily Mirror reported. Three people caught in the fire were taken to hospital, where one who was in a critical condition later died of their injuries, according to Hiru News, citing Mount Lavinia Police.
The Moratuwa Fire Unit deployed two fire trucks and firefighters worked to bring the fire under control. Images from the scene show a Moratuwa Municipal Council ladder appliance at the building and crews working in heavy rain.
Cause not yet confirmed
The exact cause has not been officially established. Preliminary investigations suspect that a gas leak may have triggered the blaze, the Daily Mirror reported. Hiru’s account does not give a cause.
Soysapura is one of the larger public housing estates in the Colombo district, a dense complex of multi-storey blocks in Moratuwa, and fires in such buildings carry a heightened risk to neighbouring units.
The fire came on an evening of heavy rain and rough seas across much of the island, with a deep depression approaching the Indian coast. No connection between the weather and the fire has been suggested by any authority.
Mount Lavinia Police are investigating.
