The spark from the multi-plug reportedly ignited the mattresses - Elder brother even videoed the fire and garnered a million views.

Twelve individuals lost their lives in the recent tragic fire at "Senehase Kedella," a care center for the elderly and persons with special needs, located in Batagoda, Anguruwathota. It has now been confirmed that this center, which operated without any legal authorization or standards, housed seventy-one individuals in an extremely dangerous manner in a small house designed to accommodate only about fifteen people.

This has become a tragedy of grave negligence, driven by the motive of making money by deceiving authorities, rather than merely an accident. At the time of the fire, seventy-one individuals, including thirty-five males and thirty-six females, were trapped inside the building. Sixty-two of them were individuals with special needs, suffering from various mental disabilities.

During the efforts by residents to save the lives of the helpless elders when the fire broke out, many shocking facts were revealed. Those involved in the rescue operations stated that some elders were tied with iron chains, approximately six feet long. Furthermore, as such a large fire spread, neither the institution's owner nor any other employee remained at the site to save the elders' lives. Information has also been revealed that only two employees were on duty for the entire elder care home.

According to available information, the fire was caused by an electrical leak involving a water pump and a multi-plug at the location. Approximately 80 mattresses were stacked near this spot, and the fire spread rapidly after the electrical leak ignited these mattresses. No fire extinguishing equipment or safety procedures were installed there, and it is also mentioned that some elders with mental and physical disabilities panicked and ran towards the fire. Eyewitnesses stated that when attempting to rescue those caught in the fire, their burns were so severe that their flesh was melting off.

This horrific fire broke out around 5 PM on the 3rd, and the Anguruwathota Police were informed about it around 5:40 PM. Immediately after the fire started, residents quickly acted and made strenuous efforts to rescue those trapped inside the house. However, all the front doors and windows of the house were locked, severely hindering rescue operations. The fire spread very rapidly and fiercely due to over a hundred donated mattresses being stacked inside the building. Villagers accuse the Horana Municipal Council's fire trucks of being delayed in arriving at the scene, and even the bowsers that did arrive lacked water, forcing them to search for nearby wells and water sources. Residents, police, the Special Task Force, and the fire department collectively made strenuous efforts and brought the fire under control by around 7:30 PM. It was noted that extinguishing an emergency fire in this rural area, which relies solely on well water drawn by hand instead of tap water, presented significant difficulties.

According to residents involved in the rescue operations, several helpless elders, unable even to walk, were caught in the fire, screaming in immense pain, and perished. One woman was rescued from the fire and brought outside, but she ran back into the burning house, claiming her gold necklace had fallen inside, and also fell victim to the fire. More shockingly, some individuals with mental disabilities had their legs chained to beds out of fear that they might escape. Because they were chained, they had no ability to escape as the fire spread, and their bodies were found charred to ashes. At the time of the incident, the owner of the institution was not present at the site, and the three alleged employees also fled the scene with the fire. Police investigations also revealed that at the time the fire broke out, the center's owner was attending the inquest of another elder who had died there the previous day.

This was not merely a free charity; an initial fee of Rs. 75,000 and a monthly fee of Rs. 35,000 were charged for admitting an elder. Despite collecting such large sums and foreign aid, proper infrastructure or safety measures were not implemented to the extent that people were chained. The more serious issue is that this institution was not registered with any government agency. They had not obtained official permission from any institution, including the National Secretariat for Elders, the Western Provincial Department of Social Services, or the National Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities. Although this institution was operated with massive publicity through social media, the fact that it was not subject to any oversight by government authorities also indicates a serious dereliction of duty by the authorities.

What the institution owner did after arriving at the tragic scene, where his institution was burning and helpless elders were losing their lives, is unbelievable. He video-recorded the incident and uploaded it to his Facebook account, where it was viewed by over a million people. This has been accused as an inhumane act carried out with the aim of further earning money by showing the fire and gaining public sympathy through social media. The relevant institution owner has now been arrested by the police and remanded in custody.

Upon investigating this "Senehase Kedella" detention center, its illegal nature becomes clearly evident. As stated by Mr. Chathura Mihidum, Director of the National Secretariat for Elders, and the Assistant Director, this institution had not obtained any registration from the National Secretariat for Elders, the Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities, or the Provincial Department of Social Services. If more than five individuals are housed, registration is mandatory under Act No. 09 of 2000 and the amended Act No. 05 of 2011. Although the Millaniya Divisional Secretariat had instructed the institution's heads to register it on several occasions, they completely disregarded these instructions. Villagers also state that despite complaining to authorities about the inhumane activities occurring at this location, no proper response was received.

The owner of this illegal center, thirty-eight-year-old Isuru Anushka Perera, also known as 'Loku Ayya' (Big Brother), had turned it into a mere money-making racket. An initial registration fee of seventy-five thousand rupees was charged for admitting a resident, and thirty-five thousand rupees monthly was collected from guardians. In addition, large sums of twenty to thirty thousand rupees were periodically taken, claiming it was for medical treatment. By promoting various videos through social media and YouTube channels, and even inviting famous artists, he worked to portray this place to the world as a very safe institution. It has been revealed that through this, he obtained millions in aid from local and foreign philanthropists, as well as various organizations. Police have also discovered that he owns three or four other unauthorized centers of a similar nature in Kalutara South, Colombawatta, Serupita, and Galpatha areas.

Ten bodies were found at the scene of this tragedy; nine of them were female bodies, along with one male body and the body of a cat caught in the fire. Of the eight people admitted to Horana and Galpatha hospitals with severe burn injuries, two later died, bringing the total death toll to twelve. Six others are still receiving treatment at Horana Base Hospital. Fifty-one rescued individuals were initially housed at Batagoda Primary School, and later, with the intervention of the Sri Lanka Army and Anguruwathota Police, they were safely transferred to another institution in the Galpatha area and a government elder care center in Kataragama. People from all over the island are arriving at the center to find out what happened to their relatives, and relatives from Moragahahena and Ambalangoda stated that they had paid large sums of money to house their children and relatives here.

The Anguruwathota Police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident, and the institution's owner, Isuru Anushka Perera, has been arrested on charges of causing death by negligent conduct under Section 298 of the Sri Lanka Penal Code. Horana Magistrate Ms. Lakmini Vidanagamage conducted a magisterial inquiry at the scene and ordered the suspect director to be remanded until June 11th. Investigations are being carried out under the instructions of Deputy Inspector General of Police Padmini Ranawaka, in charge of Kalutara Division, and Senior Superintendent of Police Nishan De Silva, in charge of Panadura Division. Specialist Judicial Medical Officer Sandakan Waduge of Horana District General Hospital is conducting post-mortem examinations, and the exact cause of the fire has not yet been revealed. However, government analyst officers and Panadura Division Crime Scene Observation (SOCO) officers are jointly conducting further investigations into whether this may have occurred due to an electrical leak in a multi-plug of a water pump or a gas cylinder exploding after a mosquito net caught fire.