A fire this morning at a house next to the Ministry of Commerce on Street 136 destroyed two floors of a home and left one woman injured.

Neth Vantha, director of the Phnom Penh Municipal Fire Department, said the fire was started by construction workers doing electrical work in the house, and that 10 fire trucks had been dispatched to battle the blaze.

“We took about two hours to put out the fire in order to prevent the blaze from spreading to other houses, but we could not rescue the house from burning,” he said.

Neth Vantha said there were no fatalities but that a woman was injured when debris from the fire fell on her head.

Local authorities sent her to hospital for treatment.

Phorn Chenda, a resident who rented a room in the house, said about 10 people occupied the property and lost all their belongings to the flames.

“Ten other people rented rooms in the home, but they could not rescue their property, including money,” she said.

A second fire broke out at a property in Chraing Chamreh II commune in Russey Keo district today, but was extinguished quickly and caused only minimal damage, Neth Vantha said.

Neth Vantha said fire fighters in Phnom Penh had responded to at least 14 fires since January, adding that their frequency increases during the dry season.

He added that there had been no reports of serious injuries or casualties from the fires.

Hun Sothy, Daun Penh district police chief, could not be reached for comment today.