Mon, May 24, 2010
YANGON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Huge fire raged a famous market in Myanmar's biggest city of Yangon Monday morning.
The fire, which occurred at the four-storey Mingalazay market in Mingala Taungnyunt township, started at about 8:30 a.m., over an hour before the market opened for business, eyewitnesses said.
The Fire Department used over 50 fire engines to put out the fire which lasted for about four hours before rain fell in the afternoon at 12:40 p.m..
Some sources said the fire started at a restaurant in the market, while others said it was due to electric short-circuit with a book stall.
There were people injured including a fire-fighter and some fainted out of smoke but if there is death is still unknown.
There are about a few hundreds of big and small trading stalls doing business in the market including many medicine-selling ones.
The fire broke out a week after the first heavy rainfall poured onto Myanmar's Yangon on last Monday after experiencing two month- long red-hot summer, initially bringing down the city's temperature from as high as over 43 degree Celsius.
The Mingalazay market fire also represented the second of its kind during this year after another major market fire had occurred in Yangon in February in Thingungyun township.
The Thingungyun market fire broke out on Feb. 12 due to electric wire short-circuit, burning down over 600 shops and two residential houses as well as one motor vehicle.
