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Café Tiolo owner speculates arson behind blaze

Shahudha Mohamed
30 August 2020, MVT 12:46
The blaze in Malé City on Friday night destroyed the two-storey Café Tiolo building and spread to the adjacent Gadhage Mohamed Fulhu Building where State Bank of India (SBI) and Ooredoo Maldives’ headquarters are located. PHOTO: MIHAARU
Shahudha Mohamed
30 August 2020, MVT 12:46

The owner of Café Tiolo, which went up in flames on Friday night, speculated that the fire was deliberately set to the café.

Speaking to local media Mihaaru, owner Hassan Didi stated that there were no flammable items on the first floor, where the fire broke out.

At the time of the incident, only one expatriate employee, who stays back after locking up every night, was inside the building.

According to Hassan, the employee was eating in the kitchen on the ground floor and only knew of the fire outbreak when a group of people knocked on the door and informed him.

Hassan told Mihaaru that the deck of the first floor was initially engulfed by the blaze, although no flammable items were present on the storey.

“If it was the kitchen, it might have been a gas leak or an electricity shortage. No electricity was being used on the upper floor. Fans and lights were turned off”, Hassan said.

He further revealed that the electrical wiring in the café was redone about a year and half ago, adding that the electrical matters were being monitored regularly.

“Therefore, I cannot believe [the blaze] was created naturally. It could have been something someone did on purpose, but then again, who would [do such a thing]?“

The fire completely burned through the café’s structure, which consisted of about 90 percent wood.

Hassan estimated that the damages of the fire will total up to MVR 1.5 million. Café Tiolo was not insured.

He stated that some of the materials amassed for attempts to open up a new café were also stored in Tiolo.

“Right now, I am at zero balance. [Things are] looking very down. I am not yet sure where to go [from here]”, he told Mihaaru.

The blaze in Malé City on Friday night completely destroyed the two-storey Café Tiolo building. PHOTO: MIHAARU

The café, consisting of an area of 2,000 square feet, had been established for about six years and was operating with 13 staff members at the time of the fire.

Friday night's blaze that erupted in Tiolo, located in the Henveiru Ward of capital Male', spread to the adjacent 10-storey Gadhage Mohamed Fulhu Building when the steel cladding outside the building was engulfed in the flames.

Although the penthouse and top floors sustained most of the damages in the fire, lower floors were also affected to varying degrees.

The fire completely destroyed the two-storey building where Cafe' Tiolo was located and burned strongly for two hours before Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL)'s firefighters brought the blaze under control.

Authorities are currently investigating the incident, but have yet to determine a cause for the fire.

Almost a year after the largest fire incident in capital Male' tore through a narrow street resulting in one death and displacing hundreds, Friday night's blaze raised several concerns amongst the public, with citizens echoing the need for decentralisation to reduce fire hazards in the congested capital.

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