8 January 2019 07:36 am
In a dramatic rescue, a brave father yesterday rescued his wife and three kids from a four-storey building which was on fire at Yatinuwara Veediya in Kandy.
Fire-fighters, police personnel and the residents laid mattresses on the ground so that the victims who were jumping down from the building were safe.
The hair-raising moment was captured on mobile phones by the onlookers gathered near the building and circulated on social media websites.
36-year-old father Kamanathan Ramarajah threw three-and-half-year-old Sahithiyan, seven-year-old Sathyajith and eight-year-old Nisalan from the third floor to the ground which was covered in mattress placed by the fire-fighters.
A few minutes later he safely carried his the wife, 32-year-old Thangawelu Radhika, to safety from the fourth floor. The injured family members were rushed to the Kandy General Hospital.
Hospital Director Dr. Saman Rathnayake told Daily Mirror only four people were admitted to hospital.
“One of the children had suffered minor burnt injuries. Though they were thrown out of the building, the children and the toddler were safe and sound,” he said.
According to Kandy Fire Brigade officials, the incident was reported to them at 7.15 am yesterday and four fire trucks were dispatched to douse the fire.
The fire fighters managed to douse the fire with the support of the police and the residents. The building contained computer accessories, garments, household equipment, a saloon and jewellery shops. The shops on the third floor were destroyed. Police said the cause of the fire was not yet known. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama) Additional reporting: Nadeeka Daya Bandara and J.A.L. Jayasinghe
Pix by Nadeeka Daya Bandara
Video by Nadeeka Daya Bandara