Five persons have been admitted to hospital with breathing difficulties following a fire on the ground floor of a three-storey building in Kiribathgoda.
The fire was reported on the ground floor of a shopping complex around 8.30 this morning.
Police said 12 persons who were stuck inside the building at the time, including children, were safely rescued by the Police and area residents.
The fire has been doused with the assistance of the Fire Service Departments of the Colombo and Gampaha Municipal Councils.
The cause of the fire has not been determined thus far, while further investigations are being carried out by the Kiribathgoda Police.
