Pettah fire: FOSE suspects sabotage

by Kurulu Kariyakarawana

Vendors of the Bodhiraja Mawatha in Pettah, where 104 shops were gutted by fire on Friday night, claimed that the cause of the fire was sabotage as part of a conspiracy by an emerging trade organisation.

Vice President, Federation of Self Employees (FOSE Market), Joseph Anton told the Sunday Observer that they are extremely suspicious about the way the fire broke out and spread to a line of shops in such a short period. Denying speculation that the fire was caused by a lamp lit for the Buddha in a shop, Anton said the shops may have been set ablaze from behind by an unknown party.

He said an emerging trade organisation had been creating confusion among the vendors in the area and had attempted to oust the President of FOSE, Mahinda Kahandagamage.

The new organisation represents a handful of vendors of the Bodhiraja Mawatha, who had not received a permanent place to conduct their business. "They had been interfering with our work," Anton said. The damage caused by the fire is yet to be ascertained while the Government Analyst and Area Electrical Engineer were to visit the scene yesterday afternoon.