• CMC Fire Dept. highlights serious risks to urban safety
• High-rise buildings without internal fire safety features difficult to put out once ablaze
• MPs question Fire Service capacity for high-rise fire fighting

The Fire Service Department of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) stated that certain building owners, particularly in areas such as Pettah, continue to ignore fire protection regulations, creating a major safety risk in the event of an emergency.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Acting Chief Fire Officer P.D.K.A. Wilson noted that unlike other high-rises built to require fire safety standards, many privately owned structures such as business premises still fall short despite repeated warnings. 

“Some property owners continue to ignore advice, store goods haphazardly, and fail to provide even basic equipment. They just want to run their businesses and earn money. This situation can be seen largely in areas like Pettah,” he said.

He further said that high-rise buildings are required to have internal fire safety systems since external firefighting efforts alone would be insufficient. “When a fire erupts in a building with a large number of floors, it is not easy to control them. This is why we advise property owners to install internal fire safety systems. We also conduct annual audits to check if buildings have these systems in place,” he added.

The issue came under the spotlight in Parliament recently when Opposition Parliamentarian Rauff Hakeem asked whether local bodies have the capacity to respond to high-rise fires. “Cranes which could go as high as at least 50 floors are needed to fight a fire in an emergency. One wonders whether the CMC or other local bodies have the capacity,” he said.

Colombo has witnessed several fire incidents in the recent past, particularly affecting busy commercial areas. The latest broke out last week in a shop on the third floor of a building at First Cross Street in Pettah. The Colombo Fire Brigade deployed 12 fire trucks to the scene, while the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Fire Service Unit sent two additional trucks to assist in the operation. A Bell 212 helicopter was also deployed to help douse the flames from above.