Scene of the incident (Photo: JM, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)02 Feb 2009
By N.S. and J.M.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French
A violent fire took place on Monday at about 3PM, in Tuol Sanker commune, Russey Keo district. Although the fire caused major material damages, there was no victim from this incident.
A fire truck with blaring siren entered a narrow street, and it suddenly made a sharp turn to the left to reach a large courtyard. Police cordon prevented the onlookers from coming nearby. Suddenly, a distraught woman tried to cut across the crowd. Following a quick discussion with a police officer, she was allowed to cross the police cordon. Some dozen meters down, she witnessed in despair a scene of desolation: burnt tin iron roof, fallen walls, rubble… A thick smoke filled the air. Thirty houses, including the one which the woman used to live, went up in smoke following the fire. The fire started at about 3PM in Deum Khvet village. Firemen were on the spot about 15 minutes later, however, difficult road access hamper their work, and the fire trucks could not bring in enough water. A dozen of fire trucks were taking turn to put down the fire. It took 40 firefighters, 24 truckloads of water, and 1 hour and a half of work to put down the fire. “We couldn’t be efficient right away. We don’t have much room to move. The fire rages on, and our equipment was not suited either,” Dy Eav, the deputy fire chief, said with regret. Fortunately, an empty lot is located next to the fire, and acted as a barrier for the fire. Finally, the firemen were able to work close to the fire.
About thirty homes were destroyed, they were rented out to factory workers. There were no death and no serious injuries. Several people were nevertheless affected by smoke inhalation and were transported to the hospital in emergency. While the cause the fire remains unknown, Dy Eav suspects that it could be caused by human negligence: electrical short circuit or kitchen fire. Soy Kosal, the commune chief, explained that tents and cooking utensils will be distributed to the victims of the fire. He assured that the later will be housed on the same spot. Nevertheless, he did not provide any detail about any emergency relief. Those who lost all their belongings can only count on the solidarity of their neighbors or they have to find a place in a pagoda to stay temporarily.
Ung Sary can only cry as she lost everything. She lived in a small house with her husband and a sister. “The fire took everything. I couldn’t save anything, not even my $500 saving hidden inside a book.”
A few meters away, workers from an electrical company felt some relief, the fire did not reach their housing, otherwise, the situation would have been much worse.
A fire truck with blaring siren entered a narrow street, and it suddenly made a sharp turn to the left to reach a large courtyard. Police cordon prevented the onlookers from coming nearby. Suddenly, a distraught woman tried to cut across the crowd. Following a quick discussion with a police officer, she was allowed to cross the police cordon. Some dozen meters down, she witnessed in despair a scene of desolation: burnt tin iron roof, fallen walls, rubble… A thick smoke filled the air. Thirty houses, including the one which the woman used to live, went up in smoke following the fire. The fire started at about 3PM in Deum Khvet village. Firemen were on the spot about 15 minutes later, however, difficult road access hamper their work, and the fire trucks could not bring in enough water. A dozen of fire trucks were taking turn to put down the fire. It took 40 firefighters, 24 truckloads of water, and 1 hour and a half of work to put down the fire. “We couldn’t be efficient right away. We don’t have much room to move. The fire rages on, and our equipment was not suited either,” Dy Eav, the deputy fire chief, said with regret. Fortunately, an empty lot is located next to the fire, and acted as a barrier for the fire. Finally, the firemen were able to work close to the fire.
About thirty homes were destroyed, they were rented out to factory workers. There were no death and no serious injuries. Several people were nevertheless affected by smoke inhalation and were transported to the hospital in emergency. While the cause the fire remains unknown, Dy Eav suspects that it could be caused by human negligence: electrical short circuit or kitchen fire. Soy Kosal, the commune chief, explained that tents and cooking utensils will be distributed to the victims of the fire. He assured that the later will be housed on the same spot. Nevertheless, he did not provide any detail about any emergency relief. Those who lost all their belongings can only count on the solidarity of their neighbors or they have to find a place in a pagoda to stay temporarily.
Ung Sary can only cry as she lost everything. She lived in a small house with her husband and a sister. “The fire took everything. I couldn’t save anything, not even my $500 saving hidden inside a book.”
A few meters away, workers from an electrical company felt some relief, the fire did not reach their housing, otherwise, the situation would have been much worse.
18 comments:
Where is the two faces pig?
Why don't the self-righteous good-hearted people from overseas do some good instead of counting on others to do the good and stand on the sideline being a critical shouting cheerleaders?
No such rule as Safety-First and Fire Code Rating for dwellings in Cambodia. You live at your own risk!
Not to look down on our people. But people’s living condition in some areas is hard to imagine compare to animal’s places in the West. At least animals in the West live indoor and better.
This is a responsible of the government and how they are concerned for the citizen’s lives.
Step aside if no competent and let other in line, you fool!
No excuse about that!
The fire department of Phnom Penh reserves its fire a trucks just for Hun Sen and the crooked rich. It's the system of money talk! The poor, when their houses are on fire, have to run furiously to carry water from the Mekong Delta. If you cannot do that, the place where your house were burned downed will be place for sale. They call it "The city development." And it is the only way to get rid off the poor!
It is not the duty of the oversea people to help put out the fire. It is the duty of the Phnom Penh fire department to do that. According to the amount of money getting from all sectors of busisness that are blomming right now, the fire department should have plenty of fire trucks to handle this work.
Hey, 7:57AM; I think something go wrong in your brains. Why every time you open your stinky mouth to spit out your shit in your comments, you point finger at the oversea people? Are you jealous with them in some way? It's not the duty of oversea people to interfere in your best goverment's jobs.
8:41 AM
If this's not the duty of you overseas people, then what is it your duty to bitch your mouth at all those past stories from Cambodia? You get the logic? If what is going on in Cambodia is none of your duty, why the hell do you care to put down your worthless comments all this time? Stop being a freaking self-contradicting hypocrite.
Before, when this SRP-sympathizer site chucks out news about people grabbing land and all this so-called injustice, you bothered to bitch and pity Khmer people like you care so much, like it's your freaking DUTY. But, now all the sudden, you play it cool saying it's not your DUTY for what is going on in Cambodia? So much for your love for Khmer people. Just say it already. You know you love Khmer only in words. When it comes down to it, you couldn't care less about any suffering of KHmer people but yourself. Be consistent if you want to be taken seriously. Don't be like Sihanouk who you love to criticize for being a flip flop. Don't be the flip flop too.
People like you would say I love Khmer this and pity Khmer that but when someone puts a gun to the head of that Khmer, you would be the first one to walk away like he don't know the guy. Wanna deny? Read your own comment about how this is none of your DUTY. People like you make me sick.
I love Khmer. When Khmer is burned down. Oh, it's not my business. So much love there.
This article is not about us reading this stuff. Its about the two face fat pig Bun Rany of the cambodia Red Cross.
kanleng kham knea (Place to bite)
Cmabodia belongs to every Khmers. I can say whatever I want to, as long as I don't shit on your head.
. . . and I have my rights say anything about the past, the present, and about the future. If you don't want to hear other peole expressing their opinions, just go to live in hell with Hok Lundy, witing for Hun Sen to join you, OK? A potato-head like you and your Hun Sen deserve to live in hell millions of years.
many kids and adults posters here are a disgrace to our race. turn off your computer and dont write any more trash. dont you have enough trash in your life?
A big disgrace to the coutry are the Khmer leaders, not the comment writers.
If you want to say or hear only all words of morally right, go to the Buhddist temples.
Hey, why you dare mess up with 10:01? You know, it's all his duty. Stop interfere!! let him fuck up with himself. OK
All writers here is no way can be shame and affect to our Khmers but only Pouk Ah Yuon’s slaves comments that could be seen as discredit to our kids.
When it’s time to pack your trash, don’t leave any shit behind for us. Otherwise, we will search for you and stuff the shit in your mouth, OK Ah 10:47AM.
Also stop being an irritable person since Yuon bought and paid off in full for your head.
Oh! let's 10:01 perform his duty. Sit and wait how he can help those people?
Some person said "Khmer-Oversea are helpless but only just comment." So, I suggest you should to write down "Some of them not all"
If you can not. That's fine. It's your freedom, but..."Control your freedom. Not they controll you. Otherwise, it became a condom"
It's sad to see people listen to Ah Scam Rainxy by staying in a dangerous slum and risk their live to try Ah Scam Rainxy's Get-Rich-Quick scheme.
What a shame?
Dear All,
There is no politic or proganda to use and to be used in that kind of incident:
1. This is fatality.
2. Local cambodians ignore basic safety rules and their equipment and way of living sometimes is like walking on a rope beyond a fire: they are careless about safety and it is hard to teach OSHA to people who throw rubbish everywhere and scratch their ass or bowlin restaurants...
3. The fire brigade personnel are paid very low. e.g. 20 to 50 usd per months.
4. Government does not give a shit about safety for cambodian people.
5. Basically government does not give a shit about people, but it is normal: rectangular strategy is to reduce poverty by letting the poor die step by step...
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