It has been reported that none of the fire alarms at Vinares flats went off when this morning's fire incident occurred.
The fire incident today left one room damaged beyond use in Apartment 6 on the 13th floor of Vinares Flat 9. The fire also spread out to the sitting room, damaging the AC.
Smoke from the fire blackened all the walls of the apartment.
A 12th floor resident of the building said that despite the major fire, no fire alarms or smoke detectors were working in the building.
They said that they had learned about the fire through a Viber group made for the Vinares flat community.
"There was no fire alarm. The smoke detectors also provided no warning that something was going on," they said.
They voiced concerns that had the fire not been put out so efficiently, there was a risk that it could have spread to other flats and created a far more serious incident.
All floors of the Vinares Flats are equipped with fire alarms and smoke detectors.
When asked about this, Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Media Officials said that the fire alarms were usually kept on, claiming that the incident had occurred at a time when the alarms had been switched off for maintenance purposes.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that the flat has been damaged beyond being inhabitable in today's fire. They have provided temporary shelter for five days for four residents of the flat.
