Student loses educational materials as fire destroys home in Sigiriya

A house in the Galakotuwa area of Sigiriya was destroyed by a fire last night (06) after a mobile phone left for charging reportedly triggered a blaze, according to Sigiriya Police.

The incident involved the residence of Chalani Kavisha Sithumini, a Commerce stream student at Dambulla Central College, preparing for the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination. Police report that all her textbooks, notes, and clothing were reduced to ashes.

The fire broke out around 10:00 PM while the student and her mother were visiting a nearby house.

They had left a mobile phone and a laptop plugged in for charging during a power outage, and the blaze erupted just as they returned home a few hours later.

Although residents, police, and the Dambulla Municipal Council fire brigade collaborated to extinguish the flames, the house sustained extensive damage.

Preliminary police investigations suggest that an electrical leak occurred while the mobile phone was charging, leading to the fire.