Fire guts Norochcholai warehouse

W.C.B. Fernando, Puttalam Group Corr

A fire broke out at a warehouse in the Norochcholai thermal power station reducing it to ashes early yesterday.

A large stock of pipes and wires were destroyed in the fire which broke out at around 1.00 a.m yesterday.

The fire was doused by power station employees with the assistance of Kalpitiya Police, Navy and Air Force camps within several hours.

According to a Power and Energy Ministry official, this warehouse belonged to the China Manufacture and Equipment Corporation which handles the construction of power station. He said the damage caused by the fire was being estimated.

Kalpitiya Police suspects the cause of the fire to an electricity short circuit.