Fire guts four houses in Rangoon suburbs

Monday, 11 January 2010 19:26 Sai Zum Seng (News Brief)

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Four houses were gutted by a devastating fire that broke out on Sunday evening in a suburban township of Thuwana in Rangoon, causing losses of at least Kyat 1.5 million, a fire brigade official said.

“A concrete building, a wooden house, and a semi-concrete house were ravaged by the fire. The fire was extinguished by 30 fire engines. Nine official vehicles also arrived on the scene,” the fire brigade official in Thingankyun fire department told Mizzima.

While the official refused to explain how the fire started, eyewitnesses said, the fire broke out in a restaurant and spread to four other houses in the neighbourhood. Contrary to the official’s claim, eyewitnesses said only seven fire engines arrived on the scene to extinguish the blaze.

Because the fire started from a lighted candle in the restaurant, the Thuwana police had reportedly arrested Phyu Kyaw, the son of the restaurant owner for negligence, sources said.

Local residents of Thuwana Township said authorities have so far not provided any assistance to the victims of the fire. The victims have been provided shelter and food by relatives and neighbours. The authorities have not provided compensation yet, they added.

On the contrary, the locals alleged that the township chairman had collected over Kyat 300,000 to be given to the seven fire engines that came to extinguish the fire.