A fire engulfed a block of 35 shophouses in central Pakxe in Champassak province on Monday but fortunately no deaths or injuries were reported.
The fire, believed to have started at a nearby wooden house, occurred at around 5pm in Phatthana Lakmeuang village near the heart of the provincial capital.
Firefighters direct water onto a burning block of shophouses in central Pakxe, Champassak province, on Monday. --Photo Champamai
Eight fire trucks from the provincial fire brigade attended the blaze but could not gain access to the scene of the initial outbreak.
Some 28 of the shophouses, most of which were two and three-storey concrete buildings, were completely destroyed in the fire.
Police are currently investigating the exact cause of the incident and calculating the total cost of damage to shophouses, goods and other properties.
Police told Vientiane Times by telephone yesterday that it took six hours for authorities to extinguish the fire and get the situation under total control.
They said it was the biggest fire in Champassak provi nce this year, with the cost of damage expected to run into the billions of kip as it occurred in the commercial centre of the provincial capital.
Deputy Head of the provincial fire brigade, Captain Vanxay Phetpaseuth, said the fire began in the wooden houses in the middle of the block before spreading to the surrounding concrete buildings.
He said the fire spread fast because the fire trucks could not gain proper access to the wooden houses considered to be the source of the fire.
Captain Vanxay said the shophouses in the area mostly sell merit-making items and pharmaceuticals, among other products.
“We are in the process of questioning the house owners and witnesses, which we expect to finish soon,” he said.
He expressed his appreciation for the contribution of local businesspeople and members of the public towards helping the fire brigade to extinguish the blaze.
“Our main challenge was that we didn't have enough fire trucks and the nearest source of water was far away in the Km5 area,” he said.
Fires are a major problem in Champassak province, regularly causing substantial property damage.
In 2010, a fire broke out in Daoheuang, the biggest market in the southern provinces, while last year two separate fires occurred in Phonsa-at and Phonxay villages in central Pakxe. The fire in Phonsa-at village burnt 18 houses, and another 11 houses were destroyed in Phonxay village
