COLOMBO (News 1st); Five members of the same family succumbed to a fire which took place at an estate house in Ragala, the Central part of Ragalawatta, at 10:00 p.m. on 07 October.

Hours before the fire, one-year-old Mohandas Eroshan cut his first birthday cake.

Eroshan, who celebrated his birthday, passed away in a fire which also took the lives of his 11-year-old brother, 32-year-old mother Thangaiya Nadia, 60-year-old grandfather and 55-year-old grandmother.

Several concerns have emerged with regard to the incident, as to whether it was an accidental house fire or a homicide.

The house, which was destroyed in the fire, consisted of two parts, one walled off while the other was covered in wax sheets and aluminum sheets. The walled room had an exit out of the house, while several other houses were located close to this house.

A neighbor spoke to News 1st, claiming that the fire came from only above and not below, however the wall had exploded in the fire, which then fell onto the family members.

However, several questions such as the origin of the fire, the residents not noticing the fire even in deep sleep, and several others remain.

Neighbors also claimed that the people who lived in the house usually go to bed around midnight, however, they have reportedly gone to sleep earlier than usual on the day of the birthday party.

” They only go to bed at 11:00 p.m. and don’t sleep much. Usually you can hear their noises. But there was no sound even when the fire started,” The neighbours said.

News 1st correspondent, Banidu Lokuruge also mentioned that four people were found sleeping on the bed on the day, which is highly unusual as normally only the mother had two children sleeping in this bed earlier. However, when the fire broke out on the day, four people were found to have slept on the bed.

Moreover, two cakes have been purchased by the family on the day.

Sister of the deceased woman claimed that a cake was purchased by her, which was subsequently destroyed by the baby. The father and the son have later gone out in the evening to purchase another, however the family had not eaten the cake, but had eaten rice and gone to sleep.

A nearby neighbor also said that when her father visited the house, the father of the deceased family had stated that he had not eaten, but had fed the baby a piece of cake. Another said that he had seen the first cake destroyed by the baby and the deceased father mentioning that the children having a headache.

Meanwhile, the behavior of the dog, the family pet during the past two days, had also been noted as a matter of concern.

Deceased Nadia’s second child celebrated her birthday on the day. She has two children from two marriages and at the time of her death she was married to the father of the child who was celebrating her birthday.

Sister of the deceased mother claimed that the wife and husband were engaging in constant fights at home, and would talk at night. Nadia’s husband had reportedly threatened her several times, saying that he will burn her and of murder.

The Police is continuing their investigations into the incident.

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