A fire at Chhlong Market in Kratie province’s Chhlong district destroyed 35 market stalls at about 8pm on Sunday, police said yesterday.

Chhlong district police chief Duong Sothy said that the fire, which consumed shops where vendors sold mostly handicrafts, was sparked by faulty wiring.

“When we arrived, we looked at the scene, investigated and found out that the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction,” Sothy said. “However, it spread to 35 stalls because of the presence of oil and gasoline in the area.”

It took four hours to extinguish the fire, keeping fire-fighting officials at the scene past midnight, Sothy said. Nobody was injured, but the affected market stalls were all total losses.

Khan Chamnan, Kratie’s deputy provincial governor, evaluated the scene yesterday. According to estimates, the fire caused about $291,000 in total damage, Chamnan said. Sunday’s incident was the second major fire in Kratie province this year, he added.

Banteay Meanchey province also saw a fire caused by an electrical malfunction on Sunday night at ruling party Senator Sok An’s ANCO Brothers Co Ltd water treatment plant, which started at 7:30pm, said Phal Sary, a 25-year-old villager who lives near the business in Poipet town.

“I heard the sound of the explosion . . . and then I saw the fire,” Sary said. “Some of the workers from the ANCO company called a fire truck.”