Major fire at Supreme Court complex, no damage to documents
COLOMBO – The government on Tuesday (14) maintained the massive five that broke out at the country’s Supreme Court complex in Hulftsdorp, Colombo, had not caused damage to court offices or documents.
Said to have broken out at the waste material store at the Court complex at around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, the fire blazed close to an hour, engulfing the entire complex in thick smoke, before it was brought under control by the Colombo Fire Brigade, which dispatched nine trucks to the scene.
M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, Secretary Ministry of Justice, in a statement issued through the Department of Government Information, confirmed no damage had been caused to “any office of the Supreme Court or any other items including file”, as the fire had occurs in a waste material store located on the on the ground floor of a building outside the main court complex. He said only the warehouse sustained damages.
Noting that cause of the fire had not been identified, Mayadunne said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Government Analyst’s Department had been instructed to conduct an immediate investigation.
The police acknowledged the CID had launched an investigation into the fire, with Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana saying the CID would be assisted by Police Scene of Crime Officers, who had already been dispatched to the scene of the fire.
-ENCL