Fire breaks out at furniture showroom in Kotagala; protest over firefighters’ delay

A fire that broke out at a furniture showroom in the Kotagala Town in Hatton has left three shops belonging to the same showroom completely destroyed. 

The fire had broken out on the ground floor of the showroom at around 10.00 p.m. last night (March 05), while the shop owner and his wife were staying on the upper floor of the shop, the police said.

The fire was later brought under control by the traders of Kotagala Town together with officers of the Dimbula Pathana Police, troops of the Kotagala army camp and plantation workers.

However, the Nuwara Eliya Municipal Council’s fire brigade had arrived at the scene after the fire was brought under control, resulting in a tense situation arising with the residents in the area protesting their late arrival and delayed response.

The damage caused by the fire has not been estimated as of yet.
 
Dimbula Pathana Police, who are investigating the fire, mentioned that the cause of the fire is suspected to be electrical short.

Meanwhile, President of Kotagala Traders’ Association, Viswanathan Pushpa said that the shops in Kotagala city will remain closed for a few hours today, protesting against the lack of support from the Fire Fighting Unit of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) or the Dikoya urban council’s fire brigade to control the fire that broke out in the city.