A wooden bridge that was destroyed by a fire on Friday on provincial road 48 in Pursat province will be rebuilt, local officials said yesterday.

O’Som commune police chief Un Yut said the 8-metre-long, 7-metre-wide bridge, which provides a crucial connection to neighboring Koh Kong province for residents near Chhay Luk village in the Cardamon Mountains was destroyed by a forest fire on Friday night.

“We do not know what the forest fire was caused by yet, but it spread to the bridge, which is important for the local people,” he said.

According to Yut, villagers and local authorities are now working together to rebuild the bridge, adding that as a temporary measure, the bridge’s construction committee decided to fill the riverbed to create a pass for farmers and residents to have continued access to the local market.

Speaking to the Post yesterday, Veal Veng District Governor Seng Sopheana appealed to the public and local authorities to put more effort into preventing forest fires, noting damage to homes, businesses and last week’s destruction of vehicles at the Kravanh Forestry Administration office.