Speaking in the wake of an early-morning fire yesterday, the chief of Phnom Penh’s Municipal Police Fire Brigade voiced his concerns about the lack of qualified drivers for the city’s fire engines.

Neth Vantha said that although the city owned 30 fire engines, there were only 25 drivers for the vehicles, adding that another 40 drivers were needed to ensure appropriate response times.

“The amount of [fire] truck drivers and trucks is not balanced,” the fire chief said.

“We have enough fire trucks, which were provided by Phnom Penh municipality, but not enough drivers yet. In fact, we need four qualified drivers per truck,” he said, adding that that figure would be closer to international standards.

Neth Vantha said that although city authorities had yet to respond to his request, he hoped “officials will complete this work well, because some of our drivers are old.”

Yesterday’s fire took place at garment manufacturer Cambrew Handsome, in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district.

Neth Vantha said four engines had responded to the blaze, which damaged about 30 per cent of the building. No workers were inside.