Eighteen people have been hospitalized after a fire broke out at Than Zay building in Yangon’s Latha Township around 6 am yesterday morning.
The fire also destroyed 42 stalls on the second floor of the 11-storey building before firefighters put it out at 9:10 am.
The building is a combination of a market area from the ground floor to the sixth floor, and residential apartments for the remaining floor. Firefighters, Tatmadaw and police officers and other personnel were able to evacuate the 85 residents of the building with no casualties reported.
U Htay Win, Assistant Director of Yangon Western District Fire Services Department, said as the emergency exit was locked, the residents had to be evacuated with platform crane lifts.
Ko Mawsi, a resident from the 10th floor, said he heard there was a fire on the lower floors but when he went to investigate there was a lot of smoke and he returned to his room. He said rescue operations were difficult as there were elderly and physically handicapped people in the building.
U Tun Tun Oo, Chairman of the Yangon Region Social Rescue Organization, said there were no deaths or major casualties and most of the people were sent to Yangon General Hospital for asphyxiation and other minor injuries.
While an initial report says the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit, officials are looking for other causes and the extent of the damage. The building has been temporarily closed and undergoing inspection for structural integrity.
MNA
(Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
Photo: Pe Zaw
Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar