Last| The Market of Sihanoukville destroyed by fire

Sihanoukville -- DB News. The Lur Market of Sihanoukville was destroyed by fire last night. The conflagration started between 10:30 and 11 PM and was at its heat until 4AM, but at 8AM there were some places that still burning. According with some witnesses, the fire started by an electric chock generated behind the market and set in fire an area of about 400 meters sq. All the shops were razed completely and there is not yet a calculation of the account of economic lost.

The police and firemen came to the place at 11:30 trying to control the conflagration, but it was already impossible to set off. There were not persons hurt by the fire.

Mr Sou Chheorn, 23, seller in the place, said that his shop was destroyed completely and the lost of his business is calculated in about US$ 15,000. The fire started in the sea food shops at the left corner of the market. Firstly he and two other men tried to control the fire at 11PM but it was impossible already, so they called other people from the neighborhood. A car of the firemen came about 11:30PM but they did little to set off it because the market had not enough space to introduce the machine. Chheorn said that 95% of the sellers were unable to rescue their belongings. At the other hand, 50% of them had their houses within the market.

Another seller who did not want to give his name, said that first he saw three men coming inside the market around 9PM and soon after they ran away from the place. According with him, some other neighbors saw them, a fact that created the theory that they were the responsible for the conflagration. “Few months ago there were a small fire in the market,” he said, “but only a shop suffered the consequences.” "The municipality asked us to move to the new market very often, but we did not take the decision. Our market used to have a strong security with more than 20 guards. We do not understand why they did not catch the responsible of this", he said.

Although some sellers said that they will ask to the municipality not be moved to another place, many persons were already setting areas in the new market, about 500 meters away in the Oh Muy Street. The new market, practically unused for more than three years, became today an obliged center for those who use to get food and other things in the market everyday.

Some persons went this morning to the Sihanoukville Trade Center – the official name of the new market – to buy some food from the sellers who are building their provisional shops in the site this morning.