The fire broke out at around 8 a.m. on the fourth floor of the six-story market, and was not extinguished until after midday. The reason for the blaze is still unknown. Rumors have circulated that it was caused by an electrical wiring problem or a gas tank explosion.
A fire engine tackles the fire at Mingalar Zay market on Monday morning. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)
“Only one truck from the fire brigade had arrived at the scene half an hour after the fire broke out,” said a local resident. “The water from its hoses could not reach the fourth floor of the market.”
Eyewitnesses said there were people inside the market when the fire broke out and that smoke was billowing from the fourth floor. Few vendors were able to save their merchandise and personal effects as the building had to be evacuated immediately, a shopkeeper said.
The fire spread to every floor of the market, said an onlooker. “By 12:30, it was still burning. There were 10 trucks from the fire brigade at the scene.”
An official from the Rangoon Division Fire Brigade confirmed to The Irrawaddy that the fire had not been extinguished by midday, but said that the fire engines had sufficient water to deal with the blaze.
An observer said that Kandaw Kalay and Banyar Dala roads were blocked off after local police arrived at the market at around 10 a.m.
The cost in damages is still not known, but is expected to reach about 1 billion kyat (US $1 million).
Mingalar Zay is a wholesale market for garments, medicine, furniture, commodities, imported snacks and cosmetics.
This is the second major fire at a market in Rangoon this year. In February, a fire broke out at Thingangyun market, destroying more than 600 stalls.
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