COLOMBO (News 1st); What began as an ordinary working day ended in unimaginable tragedy on Tuesday (21) morning when a massive fire tore through a helmet manufacturing factory in the Katuwana Industrial Zone in Homagama, claiming the lives of five workers.
Police suspect that an electrical leakage from a ceiling fan may have sparked the blaze, although investigations into the exact cause are continuing.
The fire broke out at around 9.45 a.m. on the third floor of the three-storey factory, triggering panic among employees and a desperate rescue effort involving firefighters, the military and police.
The Fire Service Department said more than 10 fire engines from Colombo, Dehiwala, Kotte and Horana were dispatched to the scene immediately after the emergency was reported. Personnel from the Sri Lanka Air Force, Army and Police also joined the operation to help contain the rapidly spreading fire.
More than 80 employees work at the factory. Workers said many employees had gone to another building owned by the company, located across the road, to have breakfast when the fire erupted. Others were still inside the building, including workers in the canteen and on the upper floors.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, thick black smoke and frantic attempts to save those trapped inside.
One worker said that after tea break, several employees had returned to the upper floor when the fire suddenly broke out.
"These youngsters had just gone upstairs after finishing their tea break. We saw the fire and tried to put it out. But while we were extinguishing it from one side, it spread even more from another side. Eventually, we had no choice but to run. There was so much black smoke coming from inside that we couldn't even think about going back in," the worker said.
Another employee recalled hearing the desperate cries of colleagues trapped on the upper floor.
"When we saw the smoke, we ran towards the building. We could hear two or three people shouting from upstairs. Within five to ten minutes, the entire upper floor was engulfed in flames. We heard loud screams for help. Mostly, we could hear women crying out to be rescued. The fire appeared to have started from the upper floor," the worker said.
Firefighters battled for more than two hours before finally bringing the blaze under control.
As anxious employees gathered outside, police were seen checking attendance and employee lists in an effort to determine who was still missing.
The incident commander from the Kotte Fire Brigade said preliminary investigations indicate the fire began at around 9.45 a.m. and spread rapidly due to the highly combustible materials used in the helmet manufacturing process, including raw pellet-type materials and chemicals.
"We were initially informed that three people were trapped on the third floor. However, they were not located where we were told. That section of the building had been completely destroyed and the deck had collapsed. When our teams finally reached the area, we found five victims, not three as initially reported," he said.
The officer added that three of the bodies had been completely charred by the intense fire, while two others were partially identifiable.
The victims have been identified as 19-year-old Sahan Udara of Kolawengama, Deniyaya; 24-year-old Sachin Dilshan of Kawudawa, Atakalampanna; 26-year-old Varadaraj Damayanthi of Maskeliya; 52-year-old Mario Edward of Sirimal Watta, Horahena, Pannipitiya; and Dilip Madhusanka of Kolawengama, Deniyaya.
Their deaths have left devastated families mourning loved ones who left home in the morning expecting to return after a normal day's work.
Police believe an electrical leakage from a ceiling fan may have triggered the fire, although a full forensic investigation is underway.
Acting Homagama Magistrate Roshan Kuruppuarachchi visited the scene later in the day and conducted an inspection of the damaged building.
Following the magisterial inquiry, the bodies were removed from the scene and transported to the Homagama Base Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
