Reason for doctor's house catching fire: suspicion about something inflammable thrown from outside ... smashing glass window

Reason for doctor's house catching fire:

suspicion about something inflammable thrown from outside ... smashing glass window

On checking reports of police investigations and government analyst's report in connection with the mysterious fire that broke out in the house day-before-yesterday in Bellanwila, Dehiwala bringing death to a lady doctor and injuring the doctor-husband in the process, information was collected yesterday to ascertain as to how the fire had been violent enough to blaze across the floor downstairs reducing everything to ashes.

What was confirmed at initial inquiries was that the fire had spread from the lower floor to the upper floor. Though police suspected that reason for the fire was that it was a gas leak, according to

government analyst report, the gas cylinder was found lying as it had been and in no way was it linked to the fire under reference and therefore that suspicion was dismissed by officers conducting investigations.

The 63 year aged mother of the doctor who sustained injuries at the time the fire  broke out had been in her room downstairs. She had provided evidence to the effect that her pregnant lady doctor and daughter-in-law, her son and the doctor couple's child had been upstairs in their bedroom having a nap while she had been awake when all of a sudden she had heard the sound of a glass window being smashed in the hall with something falling inside. She further had remarked that in order to inquire about it she had promptly come out of the room and had then noticed a huge blaze of fire in the centre of the hall. She also added that it was not possible to walk across the fire there and that smoke was found in the hall from all directions and under such circumstances had tried to alert her son upstairs by shouting and screaming. However her son had not responded immediately from sleep and after a short while the fire had spread further.

The  son noticing his mother trapped in the fire then had summoned her to come upstairs as fast as possible. But having realised that by moving to the left side and walking up the stairs would be a risk of getting caught to the fire and not being able to respond practically to son's request promptly had managed to find a way out from the other direction, she had said.

As the fire spread towards the room upstairs she was perplexed as to what her doctor-son and daughter-in-law would do and no sooner she managed to come out, had sought assistance of the neighbours pleading for help contact the police and thereby call the fire rescue units and thus come to their rescue. According to this information the police and fire rescue units had arrived on the scene in about 20 minutes and by that time it was not at all possible to approach the down floor and there had been no possibility of moving towards the top floor either and there was only one option of climbing along ramparts of nearby houses and moving on to that roof concerned, fire rescue operators informed. As such, the team had after reaching the top floor had thus found a way to rescue the victims by removing the roofing. When inspecting they had found that the doctor-couple with the child had scampered to the adjoining bathroom and had made a gallant effort to save their lives because of the fire that had spread to the bedroom, it is reported.

However when the tiles were removed it was found that perhaps because of inhaling poisonous gas to an extreme point, all three of them had collapsed unconscious with a water tap running. It was in that situation that the officers had descended from top and rescued them. By the time lady doctor Vidarshi Dias (32) was admitted to hospital she had already passed away while Consultant eye surgeon Viduranga Dias and their son are still warded and are under treatment.

Hospital authorities have taken steps to hand over the body of deceased lady doctor to her brother. The government analyst's report is expected to be handed over in the near future. Based on the testimony of the doctor's mother that after hearing a glass window shattering in the hall and some object falling inside after which a blaze of fire swirling up in the middle of the hall and that a gas leak was not the cause of the fire, Boralesgomuwa police are gathering further evidence whether this was the result of sabotage.