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Colombo Fire Chief says Liberty Plaza management was informed of poor fire fighting equipment in building prior to fire on August 17
View(s):A routine inspection by the Colombo Fire Brigade, several weeks prior to a major fire at the Liberty Plaza shopping and residence complex, found that firefighting equipment in the building was not being properly maintained, a senior Fire Brigade officer said.
The damage caused by the fire at the Liberty Plaza complex
Colombo Fire Chief P. D. K. Wilson said his officers had conducted the inspection some weeks prior to the blaze that swept through a section of the complex on August 17. He said his team had advised the management to rectify the shortcomings to ensure that the firefighting equipment was in working order.
When a second inspection was to be conducted two weeks later, the complex management had told the fire brigade officers that they could not allow the inspection to take place. They had told the officers to come back on another day. This however, had proved impossible due to the sheer workload of the officers, who had many more inspections to make, Mr. Wilson said.
On the night of the blaze, the Colombo Fire Brigade had deployed 15 firefighters and three fire engines to douse the blaze.
“We were able to bring the fire under control within an hour’s time,” Mr Wilson said.
The fire had occurred between 10.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. on August 17, the day the country experienced an island-wide power failure.
The Sunday Times learns that the fire escape route at the complex was blocked as the landings had been sublet to other shops. Residents who live in the building complex’s apartments were evacuated in the middle of the night and were only allowed back in to the building after several hours.
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) holds 17 percent of the management company of the building complex.
Kollupitiya Police Chief Inspector Sumith Gunaratne said only one shop on the first floor of the complex had suffered major damage due to the blaze. He said the Police were awaiting the Government Analyst’s report into the incident to find the cause of the fire. 
Earlier in the week Liberty Plaza complex General Manager (Administration) Saman Rathnayake said that they had ruled out any sabotage in relation to the incident.
“We are also awaiting the Government Analyst’s report to establish the cause of the fire,” he said.
An employee of a shop selling footwear in the Liberty Plaza shopping complex said the shop that burned was on the first floor. Therefore, customers were unable to come to his shop which was one floor above, he said.
Another employee who works in a shop that sells garments on the ground floor said the whole building was closed. He said their garments had suffered damage due to the smoke from the fire. Some of the expensive garments sold in their shop were damaged by the smoke.
Several attempts by the Sunday Times yesterday to contact Mr. Rathnayake regarding the allegation by the Fire Brigade chief, proved futile.