Supreme Court blaze: Fire chief rules out short circuit, probe continues

The Colombo Fire Chief has ruled out an electrical short- circuit as being the cause of Tuesday’s fire at the Supreme Court complex.

Colombo Fire Chief P.D.K.A. Wilson said he believed the fire could not have been caused by an electrical short circuit, though he stressed that they were still awaiting the report of the Government Analyst to confirm it.

The Sunday Times learns that investigators are pursuing several lines of inquiry, including whether the fire could have started from a cigarette butt discarded by a member of the cleaning staff working at the complex.

An additional Government Analyst has visited the scene as part of the ongoing investigation, while the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is probing the incident, has so far recorded statements from 57 people, including members of the cleaning staff, in connection with the fire.

According to a statement released by Justice Ministry Secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, the fire occurred at a storage area housing waste material at the SC complex at around 4.45pm on Tuesday. The storage area was located on the ground floor of a building outside the main court complex and as such, only this area was damaged by the fire, the Ministry said in a statement.

It added that the fire did not cause any damage to court records, offices or court rooms at the complex.

The fire at the complex housing the country’s highest court has caused controversy in political circles, with suspicion being raised whether it was accidental or a deliberate attempt at sabotage. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa and the UNP have called for an impartial inquiry. The UNP also called for a full inventory of court records in the record toom.