Fire at Colombo city hotel yet to be doused

Fire fighters are continuing their efforts to douse a fire that has broken out in a city hotel in Colombo, three hours after the incident was reported.

A spokesman for the  Colombo Fire Brigade  said that a fire at ‘Steuart by Citrus’  hotel  on Chatham Street, Colombo 01,  was reported at 5.20 p.m and they had rushed 12 fire engines with over 40 personnel. 

He said after three hours they had brought the fire under control, but they need to fully douse the fire. “The efforts are still underway. All have been rescued from the hotel”, he added.

He said they believe the fire broke out in an AC/electrical wire duct and started spreading.

Four to five persons rescued from the hotel were rushed to hospital and among those rescued were a few foreigners in the hotel.

The old 'Steuart House', a colonial building in Colombo 01 that housed the head-quarters of George Steuart & Co. Ltd, the country's oldest mercantile institution, was transformed into a boutique business hotel in July 2015.

 The Steuart by Citrus embodies the essence of true Scottish style. The hotel comprises of fifty rooms, situated on eight floors, embedded by history dating back to 1835.

Picture credit : Lankadeepa Isuru Perera