Colombo, Feb 15: A major disaster was averted last night in the heart of the city when the firefighters controlled a fire at the government analyst's department at Torrington Square. The two-storey building of the department, which houses a large number of weapons, explosives and ammunition, caught fire around 2100 hrs. However, it was controlled after nearly one hour. Government Analyst K Sivaratnam, who rushed to the scene, said the ceiling and the roof of the building has been damaged by the flames.

All controversial documents and weapons concerning customs, bribery and court cases are stored in the government analyst's department for examination by expert analysts. The auditor general's department is located on the ground floor of the same building. The public administration ministry and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation is located on either side of the government analyst's department.

Though the police said they did not suspect sabotage and an electric short circuit could have been the cause of fire, a special investigation has been launched to find the cause of the fire. Bureau Report