Horana elderly home fire leaves 11 dead after flames engulf a nursing facility in Millaniya, with police probing the cause.
The Horana elderly home fire has left 11 residents dead after a devastating blaze swept through a nursing facility in Millaniya, Batagoda Galpatha, yesterday.
A group of helpless elderly individuals who had come to spend the final stage of their lives in comfort were forced to meet a tragic and inhumane end no one had expected.
The place where they had sought refuge, known as “Senehasa Kedella”, turned into a massive inferno within moments.
The fire broke out this afternoon, the 3rd, at the “Mawpiya Sewana” nursing home in the Millaniya, Batagoda Galpatha area of Horana. The facility also housed elderly persons with mental disabilities.
According to the Anguruwatota Police, nearly 70 male and female residents were staying at the home when the tragedy occurred.
Preliminary police investigations have revealed one of the most heartbreaking details of the incident: most of the 11 elderly victims had been burned to death while still seated in their chairs.
Due to their age and medical conditions, they may not have had the physical strength or ability to escape as the fire spread rapidly through the building.
However, through a major rescue effort, around 45 residents were saved without injury and moved to safety.
Seven others who suffered burn injuries were rushed to the Galpatha Regional Hospital and the Horana Base Hospital for treatment.
The fire is believed to have intensified rapidly after a gas cylinder exploded inside the nursing home shortly after the blaze began.
Following that explosion, the situation quickly went out of control.
Fire engines from the Horana Municipal Council, together with local residents and police officers, worked for several hours before the flames were completely extinguished.
No definite cause for the fire has yet been established.
Anguruwatota Police have launched a full investigation to determine whether the incident was accidental or caused by another factor.
Authorities are also facing a difficult task in accurately confirming the identities of the elderly victims who died in the blaze.
The fate suffered by these elderly people, who had been pushed to the margins of life and had come seeking care, love, and affection in their final years, has deeply shaken society.
That they were consumed by fire inside the very place meant to protect them, unable even to rise from their seats, stands as a silent tragedy that shocks the conscience of the entire country.
