Fire destroys 700 shops in Myanmar marketplace

The fire broke out on Friday evening due to a short circuit in a shop in the main market of Kawthaung, and spread to other stalls.

A fire raced through a market in a busy Myanmar-Thai border town, destroying nearly 700 shops, state-run media said on Saturday.

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The fire started on Friday evening from an electrical short circuit in a shop in the main market of Kawthaung, and spread to other stalls before firefighters brought it under control three hours later, the New Light daily reported.

Kawthaung is located at Myanmar's southernmost tip, opposite the Thai town of Ranong, about 780 kilometers south of the capital, Yangon.

The report said that there were no casualties and gave no details of the damage.