Garage the scene of two previous fires, third one costs lives

A fire broke out in a car garage in M. Nirufehi on early Thursday, killing 10 people living in the quarters above the garage.

Sun has been informed it is the third fire in the garage.

The fire broke out in the garage in Nirufehi, located on Iskandhar Magu, around 12:30 am. The garage is located on the ground floor, while the first-floor houses cramped living quarters for migrant workers – the only ventilation – a single window.

Sun’s reporter at the scene, Ahmed Izmeem reports that according to the firefighters involved in rescue operations, the garage had been the scene of two previous fires. The second was two months back.

“The migrants were asleep on the floor above when the fire broke out inside the garage. The place has a single window, which made if difficult for them to exit the building. MNDF officials said they were made to sleep on top of an atom bomb,” said Izmeem.

The garage was burnt beyond repair in the fire.

The quarters on the floor above housed people from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka.

According to MNDF, 28 people were evacuated out of the building, while nine people were reported missing.

Seven of them were found dead, while two were taken to Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) with severe burns. One of them died at the hospital, while the second, identified as a Bangladeshi national, is in critical condition.

Firefighters later recovered two more bodies from the building, raising the death toll 10.

According to authorities, the bodies recovered from the building were severely burnt, making identification difficult.

The death toll could rise as firefighters continue recovery efforts.