THE holiday of a lifetime has turned into a nightmare for one unfortunate Sligo couple.
Tereza Simonova and her partner Eamon Armstrong were embarking on a month-and-a-half long trip to Srilankaite, a kite surfing facility on the Kalpitiya lagoon in Sri Lanka, when a fire broke
out in their camp in the early hours of Sunday morning last (Irish time).
The Sligo kite surfers had come together to have a BBQ and drinks to celebrate a birthday for a member of staff at the camp when disaster struck.
Tereza spoke exclusively to the Sligo Weekender in the aftermath of the fire, describing how the inferno which burned the camp to the ground, started.
“Around 9pm it was getting dark. Everybody was in the common area and the lights went off in camp and we just heard somebody screaming fire. Then we saw it so everybody ran towards the place that was the most upwind.
“The wind was above 30 knots so from very small flames within seconds the whole roof was on fire and not long after the bungalow beside was on fire,” Tereza said.
What followed among those staying at the camp was panic.”
For Tereza and Eamon’s full story, see this week’s Sligo Weekender- in shops now.
