Too Little Water at Squatter Commune Fire

Panic and people filled Sothe­ros Boulevard in Chamkar­mon dis­t­rict as a fire swept through the area Friday afternoon. Fami­lies swarmed out of the warren of wood and tin residences, home to some of the city’s poorest residents and known for its maze of brothels.

The fire started at about 5 pm, said Inh Punh, a fire chief for one of the crews on site. Firefighters tried to stop the blaze by working in the alleys that wind through the houses.

The fire spread be­cause roads were too narrow for fire trucks and so many houses were made of wood or built with thatched roofs, he said. Nor was there enough water available, he said.

“This place is the most difficult place to put out a fire,” Inh Punh said. “Too many onlookers” also caused delays, he said.

“It’s difficult to get people to listen to you when they are in a panic,” Inh Punh said.

No injuries were immediately reported, and the extent of the dam­age was still unavailable at press time.

But Hee Thyda, 30, from nearby Boeng Keng Kang II commune, said she talked to a wo­man who lost two children in the fire be­cause she had locked them in the house when she went to the market.

One witness said the fire started when a motorbike filling up with gas ignited. Another said a man burned up his motorbike after an argument with his wife. Yet another witness said the fire originated from an open flame in a massage parlor.

Noy Esa, deputy chief of Vil­lage 10 in Chamkarmon, said the fire started at either a massage parlor or a motorbike repair shop, but he was not sure which.

Nine fire trucks—five municipal and four from the Ministry of Interior—were needed to contain the blaze.

White-faced young women and other residents streamed out of mud­dy alleyways carrying pillows, fans and televisions, and  waded through a gathering crowd on the street.

Fire trucks sped between the scene of the fire and water sour­ces, the closest one about half a kilometer away near the National Assembly.

The fire continued to spread north, toward Hun Sen park, as residents doused their homes with water from hoses, pails and small buckets. Others hurried to save their pos­sessions, hauling whole table-mounted sewing machines down flights of stairs to waiting relatives.

Some witnesses accused the firemen of dousing only the houses of those who had paid them off.

“I am very worried,” said Surs Sam Roeun, as he watched the fire moving closer to his house. “I have no hope. The fire truck did not spray water on my house. Maybe they wait for money.”

The fire did not end up burning his house, but firemen on the scene denied taking money for services.

“According to experience, we put water on the house that hasn’t burned yet,” said Na Mong, a firefighter with the Ministry of In­terior.

 

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