Monday, 25 February 2008

• Fire in Mandalay's Yadanarbon Market

  YANGON (AFP) — A major fire Monday tore through the largest market and biggest shopping mall in Myanmar's second city Mandalay, witnesses said.

  The blaze broke out around 8:00 am (0130 GMT) and was still burning six hours later, they said. Flames swept through the Yadanarbon market as well as the three-storey Sky Walk shopping mall.

  Plumes of black smoke filled the sky as vendors raced to rescue their goods and load them into pickup trucks, which lined the nearby streets.

  Police said they were still trying to determine if there were any casualties.

  The fire appeared to have spread to most parts of the market, witnesses said.

  Meanwhile, in Myanmar's main city Yangon, a fire erupted at a tea shop in the Hlaingthayar industrial area early Monday and spread through the surrounding neighbourhood.

  Firefighters spent more than two hours putting out the blaze, which destroyed 200 homes, many of them small shacks, authorities said.

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  I'm hearing that there are causalities, since Yadanarbon Market is a busy place, where there is Mandalay ICT Park (with IT companies and IT training schools like MCC),  and also Skywalk Shopping Mall, which boasts that it fits international standard, but I doubt that there are proper arrangements there (smoke alarms, water hoses built in the wall, emergency exits?) in case of fire.

  I have no words to except to say that I'm feeling very sad about all of this.
  
  You can see the photos at Ko MgHla's blog.
  

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