Fire at Myebon Twsp village leaves nearly 70 people homeless

By DMG 20 May 2021

DMG Newsroom
20 May 2021, Myebon 

Fourteen houses were destroyed and 69 people left homeless after a fire broke out in the southern ward of Kan Htaung Gyi village in Myebon Township at about 3 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Kan Htaung Gyi Fire Services Department. 

The fire started from a flash in a frying pan while snacks were being fried, with the flames ultimately engulfing 14 houses and causing partial damage to another 10 houses. 

More than 30 men and over 30 women from the 14 houses that were destroyed by the fire have been left homeless and total property losses are estimated at K857,000, said U Tin Myint, in-charge of the Kan Htaung Gyi Fire Services Department. 

“The total number of houses damaged by fire is 24. Ten houses were partially damaged. Our department has reported to police about the value of the damage caused by the fire and police have detained and opened a case against the owner of the house that started the fire for negligence,” he said. 

Residents of some fire-affected houses were single elders who will need donor help to rebuild their houses as they cannot afford to rebuild on their own, said Ko Maung Cherry, chairperson of the Kan Htaung Gyi village Free Funeral Service Association. 

“Firefighters were able to put out the fire at about 5 a.m. People from the destroyed houses are now living at nearby houses,” he said. 

“I pity one grandma and an elderly couple. Their houses were burnt in the fire, and they cannot afford to rebuild their houses. I want these elders to be helped by donors,” he added. 

Currently, senior monks of the Oak Kyaung Monastery in Kan Htaung Gyi village have provided K200,000 for each household that lost their house in the fire, and those who have no place to live are facing difficulties, said Ko Tun Myint Soe, whose house was partially damaged. 

“The front of our house was destroyed. The fire broke out at the snack-making house. Fire victims are living at nearby relatives’ houses. Fire engines at our village arrived in time and if they hadn’t, all the houses in the southern part [of Kan Htaung Gyi village] could have been burnt to ash. Some people lost everything,” he said. 

A total of 663 temporary shelters at Tin Nyo IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township were destroyed by fire on March 17, with total property losses estimated at about K200 million.